Beyond the Final Frontier: Clash of Giants
by Lord Siravant
Summary: En route to Alderaan, the Death Star is abruptly attacked by an alien race calling themselves the Borg. Vader alone understands the significance of this threat, and with the aid of a former drone, he must convince all that remains of the galaxy to band together against this new menace. The Galactic Civil War is over. The Borg Wars have begun. Flames will be ignored. Period.
1. Chapter 1

**I've been tossing this idea around in my head for years, and it's about time I started putting my own spin on this most vicious of debates. I will not, however, show fan wank bias for either side, and will present both sides at their strongest and weakest. Flames and trolls will be ignored. Period.**

 **XXXXX000XXXXX**

 **Chapter One: A New Frontier**

In the cold void of space, a single vessel set about a most monumental task. The vessel itself was a cube of immense size, each side at least 3 kilometers long. Its makers appeared to have constructed the cube from the inside-out, exposing the conduits and wiring to the black void of space. It glowed an eerie green from within. This vessel belonged to the most feared race in the galaxy, a race guilty of murdering billions and assimilating even more: the Borg.

Its current goal: to construct a stable wormhole to another galaxy in order to expand the Collective's influence and assimilate new technology and races.

Within the cube, the mighty consciousness of the Borg hive mind was constantly at work, detailing and directing its motives.

 _Quantum singularity 100 percent complete. Scanning anomaly for signs of instability…error. Singularity is beginning to denaturate. Approximate time to total collapse, two Earth hours, 27 minutes._

Far away, in the Borg superstructure known as Unimatrix 01, the face of the Collective received this information, and in her powerful mind in which millions became one, she pondered and planned.

"Redirect all available vessels to the quantum singularity," she commanded out loud. An inefficient method of communication, but sometimes even she needed to exercise her status as unique among the Borg. "Prepare this vessel for launch. Begin preliminary activation sequence for a second queen to appropriate all my primary tasks upon my entry into the singularity."

She knew that, if she did not go, the vessels that entered the singularity would weaken, as their link to her and the rest of the Collective would be stretched quite nearly to the breaking point. It was a protocol the Borg had kept on standby since her inception, and it had proven invaluable in sustaining her even if her current body was destroyed. With a second queen on standby to inherit her consciousness, she was effectively immortal.

The chamber shuddered as the Queen's personal, diamond-shaped vessel exited the Unicomplex and entered a transwarp conduit. Within an hour, her vessel, as well as eighteen other Borg ships, all arrived at the appointed destination where the first cube was standing guard. Along with her unique diamond-shaped vessel, there were twelve standard assimilation cubes, as well as three Class-4 tactical cubes, and three long-range tactical spheres. A small scout force, by Borg standards, but truly formidable to any race that had been lucky enough to survive encounters with them with some semblance of integrity intact.

Her forces gathered, the Queen exerted her full control over the hive as she silently gave the command. _Begin_.

One by one, the Borg armada entered the wormhole, traveling through space and time in mere moments, until they emerged into a galaxy far, far away.

Once the armada had exited the singularity, the vessels took a moment to assess the situation.

 _Primary shield matrices on all vessels have been disabled. Damage minor. Beginning regeneration sequence_ …

The Borg Queen ignored this as she looked at a viewscreen showing the inky blackness of this uncharted region of space. "Scan this spatial grid for any signs of vessels or inhabited planets. Begin preliminary procedures for mapping out this new sector."

She waited, her patience infinite, until the Collective alerted her to a new development. She cocked her head as the viewscreen shifted to a small moon settling into orbit around an inhabited planet.

 _A vessel has been detected. Six hundred thousand kilometers, approaching an M-class planet at low impulse. Preliminary scans indicate a battle station of unknown armament. Crew: one point eight five million, Species 5618, Human. Shield matrices have been repaired. All systems operating at full capacity._

Staring at the spherical battle station as impassively as ever, but with an unmistakable glint of hunger in her eyes, she gave the order. "Move to intercept at low impulse and prepare for assimilation. Once we have secured the station, we will move on to the planet."

XXXXXX

Princess Leia Organa shuddered as she felt the presence of Darth Vader behind her as she was led over to where that loathsome snake, Tarkin, was waiting for her with that insufferably smug look on his face. "Princess," he said conversationally, "how wonderful of you to join us."

"I _told_ you," she said again for what had probably been the tenth time in the last hour, "I don't know where it is."

Tarkin's smirk never wavered. "Yes…you have proven yourself to be quite resilient to the truth serums we've administered. I fear it's time for a more… _aggressive_ approach."

He cast his aging face towards the window, drawing Leia's attention as well. She recognized the planet staring back at her immediately, and quickly she put two and two together, her face going white as a sheet. "Since you've chosen to resist us, we have decided to test this station's destructive power on your home planet of Alderaan," Tarkin continued, a malicious glint in his eyes.

"No!" Leia gasped, horrified.

Tarkin's smirk widened even further; he was enjoying this. "Then tell us the location of the Rebel base, and I may see fit to spare Alderaan its fate."

Leia bit her lip, conflicted between her loyalty to her home and to the Rebellion. Finally, in a resigned, stricken voice, she whispered, "Dantooine. They're on Dantooine."

"See how easy that was?" Tarkin sneered. He then turned to his comm officer. "Commence with the operation. You may fire when ready."

Horror and incomprehensible rage burned in Leia's eyes as she cried, " _No_! You said…!"

Tarkin turned back towards her, and he was _still_. _**Smirking**_. "You're far too trusting, Princess," was his coy, cruel reply.

Leia paled in dread. This monster had been planning to destroy Alderaan all along. As far as she was concerned, Wilhuff Tarkin had just proved himself to be viler even than Vader, right up there with the wrinkled old Emperor himself.

However, as this short exchange played out, Vader suddenly stiffened as she felt a sharp disturbance in the Force. It felt as though some empty, chilling void had opened up and was reaching at this very moment towards the Death Star. This went unnoticed, for a second after the Sith Lord sensed it, the comm officer abruptly spoke up. "Sir! Long-range sensors have just picked up a fleet of unknown vessels converging on our immediate position."

Tarkin's brow furrowed, his smirk finally fading thanks to the unexpected interruption. "Friends of yours perhaps, Princess?" he asked rhetorically.

Leia did not answer, her expression one of utter confusion. The Rebellion had indicated to her that it was not ready to launch an assault on the Death Star just yet, so they couldn't have massed a strong enough fleet to challenge the station so quickly. Not to mention that it was too soon for them to have gotten the plans she had sent off in that R2 unit.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the deep, mechanical baritone of Vader. "Judging by the Princess's expression, I do not believe these are rebel ships. What direction are they approaching us from?"

"Northwestern hemisphere, s-sir," the comm officer explained nervously. "They'll be in visual range in less than two minutes."

"Bring us around," Tarkin ordered. "Ensure that the superlaser is facing their fleet when it arrives. We will deal with Alderaan later."

"Yessir."

Vader, Tarkin, and Leia all watched as the view slowly shifted to the left, away from the pristine, beautiful Alderaan to the sight of some twenty ominous-looking ships of unknown design bearing down inexorably on the station. Soon, about twenty thousand kilometers off, the unidentified armada halted and spread out in a half-circle surrounding the Death Star. Vader, forgetting about Leia for the moment, took a single step towards the window, his gaze fixed on the geometrically-shaped vessels. The cubes in particular were _massive_ ; apart from the soon-to-be-completed _Executor_ , they were the largest vessels he had ever laid eyes on, easily dwarfing the average Star Destroyer many times over. Surrounding them was a constant disturbance in the Force, almost like some kind of void the nature of which he could not describe, but it filled him with a dread the likes of which he had not felt in a very long time. Suddenly a green beam lanced out of the nearest cube, washing over each of them ominously.

"What are they doing?" Tarkin demanded.

"They're scanning us with some kind of polaron beam!" the conn officer declared worriedly.

Somehow, Vader did not know how, but _somehow_ , perhaps through the whisperings of the Force, he knew what the purpose of it was. "They're sizing us up…analyzing our offensive and defensive capabilities."

Leia's jaw was threatening to drop. Who could be bold or insane enough to directly challenge the Death Star?

Little did she know that she, and by extension everyone else, was about to find out.

XXXXXX

 _Tactical scans complete. Six thousand high-yield pulse laser turrets, two thousand torpedo bays. Bridge and Engineering sections identified. Scans indicate concave structure to contain a weapon of unknown yield, scans inconclusive. Concave structure is now facing Cube 6729, reading power fluctuations in the structure_.

The Queen flashed a ghost of a smile as the Collective continuously fed information into her, anticipating the coming conquest with relish. "Triaxulate all shield matrices to absorb their pulse lasers. All vessels prepare to transport all available tactical drones to their Engineering section and Bridge. Open communication frequencies."

XXXXXX

Every crewman on the Death Star abruptly froze as the comm system was hijacked station-wide, a hideous cacophony of millions of whispers coalescing into a single powerful voice as the aliens enunciated their intentions loud and clear.

" _ **WE ARE THE BORG. EXISTENCE AS YOU KNOW IT IS OVER. WE WILL ADD YOUR BIOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS TO OUR OWN. YOU WILL SERVICE US. YOU WILL BECOME US. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE**_."

And then the message cut out, giving the officers comm control again.

Tarkin bristled at this. "They would dare threaten us?! Bring the superlaser online! Target their nearest vessel! Perhaps a demonstration of our power might convince them to surrender."

Vader was silent as he quietly reached out with the Force, seeking to touch the aliens with his mind. Perhaps he could influence their thoughts or at least glean some information from them. But when he tried to pinpoint a single individual, he found that he couldn't; to touch the mind of one was to touch the minds of all. A collective consciousness. If that was the case, perhaps he could influence them all at once…

 _ **SECURITY BREACH. FOREIGN TELEPATHIC PRESENCE DETECTED**_.

And then Vader found himself pinned in place as the voice and will of millions bore down on him as one. He was but one mind, one voice, a single grain of sand standing against the entire ocean. They were surrounding him, consuming him, demanding his surrender…

 _ **JOIN US. BECOME ONE WITH THE BORG. JOIN US IN OUR SEARCH FOR PERFECTION. ANAKIN SKYWALKER, OTHERWISE GIVEN THE DESIGNATE DARTH VADER, YOU HAVE SERVED AN INEFFECTUAL, ARCHAIC CULTURE THAT IS DESTINED FOR SELF-DESTRUCTION. WE ARE THE NEXT STEP IN EVOLUTION. WE ARE PERFECT. WE ARE THE BORG. JOIN US. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.**_

 _ **RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.**_

 _ **RESISTANCE IS FUTILE**_.

"Resistance is…" Vader uttered, but the words halted when he realized what was happening.

 _No_. He had sold his soul once already. He would not do it a second time. With a drawn-out growl of effort, Vader pushed himself out of the Borg hive mind, and the drone of millions of voices speaking as one blessedly faded from his skull. He did not realize he had stumbled as he recollected himself, but Leia and Tarkin certainly had.

"What's gotten into you, Vader?" Tarkin demanded. Then that smirk of his returned. "Is that fear I see?"

"Every last one of those alien vessels must be destroyed. _**NOW**_."

Tarkin returned his gaze towards the window as the superlaser activated, a bright beam of green energy lancing out of the Death Star that slammed into the nearest cube, obliterating it instantly. The sight of this made Tarkin's grin widen further. "See? Nothing can stand against the power of this battlestation."

XXXXXX

 _Cube 6729 destroyed, all drones eliminated. Estimated power output of weapon; four hundred million terawatts. Our shields cannot repel firepower of such magnitude_.

The Queen's eyes narrowed; the telepath's invasion into the hive mind had not gone unnoticed by her. His foolish move had opened him up to her, and he had piqued her interest the same way a certain other human once had. But like that same man before, he had resisted, and pulled himself away before she could consume him from afar. Previous experiences and assimilations had allowed the Borg to adapt to foreign presences attempting to infiltrate the Collective's subspace frequencies, either through telepathy or synaptic interfaces.

 _Enemy weapon recharging. Estimated time until weapon is ready to fire again; eight minutes, eleven seconds_.

Easily shunting aside that familiar feeling of anger, the Queen curtly ordered, "All vessels, open fire. Concentrate on the concave structure. Begin transportation of drones to Engineering and Bridge areas and prepare for assimilation. The Collective must grow."

 _Estimated losses before enemy vessel is secure projected to be four to five vessels, up to six hundred thousand drones. First transportation cycle complete. Encountering heavy resistance, 42 percent of initial wave eliminated. Initiating second transportation cycle. The Collective must grow_.

XXXXXX

Tarkin was rather surprised that the aliens had not surrendered after the destruction of their first vessel. The remaining Borg vessels all collectively turned their attention towards the superlaser, each firing a single green torpedo-like object at the Death Star's primary weapon. Tarkin scoffed. "Those weapons can't possibly penetrate our shields."

All of the projectiles pounded against the superlaser's protective shield, but Tarkin's smirk faded when the comm officer gave the report. "Sir, the shields' effectiveness just dropped by eight percent!"

" _What_?" Tarkin demanded, an edge to his voice.

"W-whatever those were, they just drained the superlaser's shields by eight percent!" the officer nervously clarified.

They looked up just in time to see the Borg armada send another salvo at the superlaser, and the comm officer reported, "Shields down another fourteen percent!"

"Enough of this!" Tarkin snarled, losing his patience. "Fire all weapons, and the superlaser once it's finished recharging!"

All at once, thousands of turbolaser turrets fired a deadly rain of searing green bolts at the gathered ships, but Tarkin's brow furrowed as he watched the barrages be harmlessly absorbed by the enemy vessels' shields. "Impossible," he murmured. "What _are_ these beings?!"

Another salvo of shield-draining missiles struck the superlaser. "Sir, superlaser's shields are down to 26 percent! Another volley and we'll lose them!"

"How soon before they're ready to fire?" Tarkin demanded.

The officer gulped. "Two minutes, seven seconds, sir."

"Dispatch all our fighters!" Tarkin ordered. "Tell them to distract the aliens as much as possible! Just give us the time we need to fire that weapon again!"

"I think it may be wiser for us to fall back," Vader intoned. "These aliens have clearly demonstrated themselves to be a threat we do not yet understand the extent of."

"I WILL NOT CONCEDE DEFEAT!" Tarkin roared, causing Leia to jump. Never had she seen the man so furious. "The Death Star is the ultimate power in the universe! And I am not going to flee before some puny aliens just because we've never encountered their technology before! You are many things, Vader, but I never took you to be a _coward_!"

Leia could practically feel the waves of anger radiating off of the masked Sith Lord as he pointed a single finger, threateningly, at Tarkin. "You have done nothing but test the limits of my patience ever since the Emperor put you in command of this technological terror," he growled. "You speak to me so flippantly only because of how much trust the Emperor has put in you. But I know better than anyone how fleeting his favor is. And if you allow the Death Star to be lost because of your own arrogance, you had better hope that you perish with it, because I assure you the Emperor will doggedly seek your death for your short-sighted betrayal, and I will be more than happy to carry out the execution."

"If you wish to run, then _run_ , Vader," Tarkin coldly snarled. "I'll gladly take credit for all the glory to be had here. And then it will be _you_ who will lose the Emperor's favor."

Suddenly the entire station shuddered noticeably, shaking them from their personal showdown as the comm officer cried, "Shields have failed! They're targeting the superlaser with all their weapons!"

"Are we ready to fire?" Tarkin demanded, turning away from Vader.

"Y-yes, but…if we do, t-the damage it's already taken could cause a feedback and destroy us too!"

While this exchange took place, they were suddenly startled by the sound of another explosion. They turned to see that three of the Borg vessels' shields had failed under the combined assault of hundreds of turbolaser blasts and were crumbling apart under the heavy barrage. Tarkin's smug grin returned. "So their shields aren't impenetrable after all. They _can_ be overwhelmed."

However, as soon as those words left Tarkin's mouth, a shimmer of green and a strange hum drew their attention towards the center of the room in time to see six individuals appear from seemingly thin air. Leia and the comm officer gasped in horror, and even Tarkin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Vader's expression was hidden by his helmet, but he too was disturbed by what he saw.

Staring back at them, with the blank, lifeless eyes of the living dead, were six cyborgs unlike anything they had ever seen before. Their skin was mottled grey, and they were all bald. Most had one eye replaced with some kind of blinking prosthesis, and they were clad in pewter-black exosuits riddled with circuitry and wiring that directly fed into the bodies. Some had also had one arm replaced with artificial implements, with blades, hooks, and other tools designed for some unknown purpose whirring ominously as they visually scanned their surroundings. Leia was petrified by the dead look in their eyes, and, despite herself, hid behind Vader.

All the Stormtroopers and officers in the room drew their blasters and pointed them at the gathering of drones as Tarkin barked, "You there! You are under arrest, in the name of the Galactic Empire! Stand down or we'll open fire!"

Undaunted, the Borg drone directly facing Tarkin raised a cybernetic arm and began slowly walking towards him like a juggernaut. Tarkin didn't hesitate; he pulled the trigger, and the drone was thrown backward as the plasma bolt struck it squarely in the chest, killing it. This prompted the other drones to begin striding methodically towards random crew members, who all fired as well, and soon the remaining drones dropped dead with their chests smoking and sparking.

"That was remarkably easy," Tarkin mused. "Any word of any other boarders?"

The comm officer began hurriedly communicating with his fellow officers on the Bridge, and then turned towards Tarkin, his face white as a ghost. "Sir…the Bridge is under heavy attack, and we've lost all contact with Main Engineering! I'm getting reports of boarders all over the station!"

Tarkin, though he tried not to show it, was beginning to show signs of growing fear at the continuing development. "How…how is this _possible_?!"

"The station is _lost_ , Tarkin," Vader pointedly said once more. "If you wish to stay and go down in flames with it, fine. But I will not share your fate, but spread word of it as a cautionary tale."

Leia started as she felt Vader firmly push her by the shoulders towards the doors. "The Princess stays, Vader," Tarkin abruptly announced, glaring daggers at the man who he hated more than anyone for how he constantly stood in his way to becoming the Emperor's right hand. "You may run, but _I'll_ be the one to bring her to the Emperor after I've dealt with these upstart aliens."

Leia jumped as Vader's lightsaber activated with a hiss. "Give me a reason, Tarkin. Give me the reason I need to finally end your life."

At that moment, Tarkin, for once, decided that he had pushed Vader enough and said through gritted teeth, "Fine, take her. But be sure His Majesty will hear of this."

"He certainly will. From me. You, on the other hand, I don't expect to still be alive by the end of today, so I've no need to worry. You and your toy will go down in flames together."

Leia meekly followed Vader out the door, and blinked in surprise as she could have sworn he muttered, "And good riddance to both."

XXXXXX

Even as hundreds of Imperial fighters swarmed all around the gigantic Borg vessels, taking potshots at their tritanium hulls with their laser cannons and bombs to little effect, the armada simply ignored them as it continued sending salvo after salvo of torpedoes and cutting beams at the superlaser platform. Observing on a viewscreen, the Queen smirked as the Collective informed her of their latest development, even as she watched it all through the eyes of each of her drones. A shiver of pleasure crawled up her metallic spine as she felt each new addition added to her Collective, enhancing them, perfecting them. The fall of a drone hardly fazed her, and there were more, always more to come when one fell. And they were learning to adapt. Like the ships themselves, the drones' personal shields had been modified to absorb the enemy's weapons, to moderate effect. The shielding ultimately failed if put under heavy assault by several volleys at once, but with the drones swarming as they were, doing so only killed a handful while allowing the legion behind them to surge forward with arms outstretched, inviting them all to join the hive.

 _Enemy vessel's primary weapon disabled. 35 percent of station secured, approximately 200 thousand personnel assimilated. Estimated time until entire station is fully assimilated; eight Earth hours, two minutes_.

The Queen's smile widened. "Our presence is no longer required here. Cube 43091 will commence with the assimilation of the nearby planet. Upon full assimilation of the station's archives, we will determine priority of next assimilation targets. Designate our newest vessel as…Unimatrix 01-B."

XXXXXX

It was not long before Vader and his unwilling charge came upon another group of the creatures. Three of them were currently investigating a large console, scanning it with their devices. A pair of Stormtroopers appeared from down the corridor, saw them, and immediately opened fire. To Vader's surprise, the blaster bolts were harmlessly absorbed by some sort of energy shielding that surrounded the drones. Two of the drones broke away from their task and lumbered after the attacking Stormtroopers while the third stayed behind, raising its fist towards the console. Vader and Leia stopped, the Sith Lord saying nothing as he observed both scenes playing out. The two drones ignored the blaster bolts impacting their shields as they advanced on the hapless Stormtroopers, arms outstretched. The idiot soldiers didn't back up, but kept firing even though it was useless, and soon the Borg were upon them. They tried hitting the drones with the butts of their guns, but the Borg were unfazed and quickly overpowered the Stormtroopers. Vader then watched as the two drones, as well as the third one that had remained at the console, injected the Stormtroopers and the console with a pair of tubules that emerged from their knuckles. The Stormtroopers jerked violently, and then went still, while the console's layout abruptly changed from Imperial data to a strange, spaghetti-like pattern.

Leia was horrified at the fate of the brave but foolish Imperial soldiers. "Why aren't you helping them?!" she yelled angrily.

"I am gathering information," Vader replied without empathy. "Besides, what does it matter to you? As a member of the Rebel Alliance, does not the death of a handful of Imperial soldiers satisfy you?"

Leia narrowed her eyes. "I am not the monster you are, Vader. I don't enjoy the state our galaxy is in. We are fighting the Empire for the same reasons the Separatists fought the Republic; our ruling government is hopelessly corrupt, and we want change!"

"Billions have died for the sake of that so-called 'change'," Vader replied smoothly. "In both this war and the Clone Wars. Has any of it been worth it?"

Leia said nothing in reply, and turned her head to silently mourn those two soldiers who, despite being the enemy, demonstrated courage the likes of which she had also seen in the Rebellion's finest members…

And then her eyes widened as she saw them get back up. "What…? They're not dead?"

Vader also appeared surprised by this as the two Stormtroopers unsteadily got back to their feet, the two drones that had assaulted them striding off to perform other, unknown tasks. However, Leia and Vader both noticed how stiff they were moving, more like automatons than men. Then they lifted their helmets…

…and Leia screamed.

They too had dead, soulless gazes, with mechanical devices even now ripping out of their faces and cheeks, the skin around them turning mottled grey as well. Even Vader could not hold back the undercurrent of horror in his voice. "So _that's_ how they do it…"

Vader decided right then and there it was time to act. With lightsaber in hand, he first cut down the drone still assimilating the console, and then quickly bisected the two freshly-assimilated Stormtroopers. "Come, Princess," Vader commanded, his weapon still active. "If you wish to live, you will follow me."

Leia knew it better than to argue, and reluctantly followed the Sith Lord towards the hangar bay. She gasped in surprise as they rounded a corner to encounter three assimilated Stormtroopers coming towards them. These too Vader cut down without hesitation or remorse, and he continued on without a word. Close to the hangar bay, they encountered at least six regular drones having just dealt with an opposing group of Stormtroopers. Vader was immediately a blur of motion, the red glow of his lightsaber humming and hissing as it swung through the air, severing arms and heads and splitting bodies in half. He then made sure to swiftly execute the unconscious troopers before they could finish turning before resuming his course, with Leia following nervously behind. She silently cursed to herself; with her hands still cuffed, Vader was her only means of protection against these strange, terrifying beings. She couldn't take one of the assimilated troopers' blasters for herself, and even if she could, she doubted Vader would have let her. Despite everything that had happened, she was still his prisoner. The best she could hope for was that, with the Death Star having been waylaid by the surprise arrival of the Borg armada, her father and the people of Alderaan had time to realize the danger and flee the system.

Soon they arrived at the hangar bay, where some other, smarter Imperials had decided to run while they still could, boarding shuttles and exiting the bay. Vader led Leia over to one of the remaining shuttles, his personal one, and ushered her inside. He looked over his shoulder to see a multitude of Borg march into the hangar bay, some fully-assimilated drones, others freshly-recruited personnel, but all had the same empty, faraway look in their eyes as they advanced on the fleeing Imperials. Several troopers began tossing their standard-issue grenades as the Borg horde, hoping to slow them down even for a moment before racing towards their respective shuttles. Vader noted with relief that the explosions did indeed kill a significant number of Borg before sealing the door behind him.

Leia, unable to do anything, just sat down in a chair while Vader swept past her to the cockpit. Though his past as Anakin Skywalker was long-dead to him, he still never felt quite at home as he did at the cockpit of whatever craft he was piloting. With years of practiced precision, he brought the engines online and lifted her out of the hangar bay to join the handful of other evacuating Imperial craft.

XXXXXX

Bail Organa was worried. He had not heard anything from his daughter in several days, and the last news he had heard was that her ship had encountered an asteroid field and perished. But Bail knew better; it was more likely that her ship had run afoul of a Star Destroyer, but what he did not know was whether she was dead or alive. Had the Empire discovered she was a Rebel sympathizer? Were they intending to use her to strike at him? Were they aware of her mission to recruit General Kenobi to the war effort? Considering the many possibilities only served to heighten his anxiety further as he brooded in his private chamber in the palace.

However, his brooding was interrupted when one of his orderlies entered the room, his face pale as a sheet. "Viceroy!" the man cried.

Organa straightened in his seat as he asked, "Yes, what is it?"

"The Death Star has entered the system and is within firing range of Alderaan!"

Organa was out of his seat in an instant. " _What_?"

"B-but that's not all, sir!" the orderly continued. "A fleet of unknown ships then abruptly appeared out of some kind of wormhole and has…begun _attacking_ the Death Star!"

"Attacking it?" Bail repeated in shock.

"Yes, sir!"

Bail took a moment to process this information. "Whoever they are, they've given us valuable time. There's only one reason that snake Tarkin would have brought that _thing_ here. Order a complete evacuation of the planet. We will make for Corellia at once while the Empire is otherwise distracted by our new friends."

"Understood, sir!" the orderly saluted before heading off to spread the word.

Without further ado, Bail went to go collect his wife and join the evacuation himself, thanking whatever gods he could for the unknown ships that had placed themselves between his home and the Death Star.

Little did he know that he would soon change his tune.

XXXXXX

Leia watched with bated breath as their shuttle raced out of the bowels of the Death Star, having, despite Vader's presence, taken the other available seat in the cockpit to observe the battle they were passing by. Vader said nothing, concentrating on piloting the ship while Leia looked up to see the Borg armada systematically terminating the various turbolaser turrets spitting thousands of bolts at them while hundreds of TIE Fighters swarmed the gargantuan vessels. The Borg vessels, however, were virtually ignoring the tiny fighters, and it was easy to see why; they weren't causing any significant damage to the enemy ships, though many of them were as pockmarked as an unsheltered moon due to the sustained turbolaser volleys that had eventually overwhelmed their shields.

"They seem preoccupied," Vader mused out loud, looking up as well for a brief moment. "Let us hope our departure goes unnoticed."

Vader idly waved a gloved hand, and to Leia's surprise, her cuffs flew off her hands and clattered to the floor. "Until I deem otherwise, you will no longer need those," he said in a curt tone.

Leia said nothing, knowing that she should just accept her luck. "Where are we going?"

Before Vader could answer, however, they heard a familiar shimmering sound behind them, and Leia screamed.

A single Borg drone stared back at them, its artificial arm outstretched towards the young princess.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: A Disturbance In The Force**

 _Imperial databanks assimilated. Scanning for all relevant technologies…Hyperdrive schematics found. Hyperdrive is a variant of transwarp technology. Slower, but does not require conduits to facilitate travel. Begin applying stored records of transwarp technology to improve upon hyperdrive design. Estimated time before modified transwarp coil is complete: three Earth days, fourteen hours. Commence testing of modified transwarp coil upon completion. Testing vessel will be Cube 43091._

… _Imperial navigational records accessed. Adding data to star charts…relevant planets found. Coruscant, Imperial designate, Imperial Center…main seat of government for the Galactic Empire, many forms of technology present…Kuat…primary warship construction site for Galactic Empire…Kamino…rapid cloning and maturation technology, advanced regenerative technology. Coruscant, Kuat, and Kamino have priority. Assimilation of these planets essential to sustained campaign against all hostile elements in Galaxy 002. Begin construction of new vessels upon assimilation of Alderaan. Begin dismantling of primary weapon upon assimilation of Unimatrix 01-B, redirect power output to regenerative shield matrices._

Without a word spoken, the Queen mentally split her surviving fleet into thirds, with the largest complement to be dispatched to Coruscant, as it was likely to be under heavy guard, given the militaristic structure of the Galactic Empire. But this would not make a difference. Resistance was, as the Borg stated from the outset, futile.

 _Time until Fleet 001 reaches Coruscant, 2 days, 18 minutes._

 _Time until Fleet 002 reaches Kuat, 4 days, 19 hours._

 _Time until Fleet 003 reaches Kamino, 9 days, 4 hours. The Collective must grow._

XXXXXX

Leia screamed again as she tried to scramble away from the advancing drone. Vader had no time to lock the controls. Growling under his breath, the Sith Lord swept into the lounge and ignited his lightsaber, intending to bisect the cybernetic zombie where it stood. However, to his incredulous surprise, his red blade was blocked by the drone's energy shielding, which had somehow adapted to counter his lightsaber. Vader was so caught off-guard by this development that he almost didn't see the drone swing its mechanical arm at him. Almost. With the aid of the Force, Vader swiftly intercepted the swing with his lightsaber, but unfortunately the shielding prevented the Borg from losing said arm on contact. But with surprising swiftness of its own, the drone's free hand grasped Vader's lightsaber-hand, attempting to overpower Vader as it dragged him towards the floor. With a grunt of effort, Vader Force-pushed the Borg drone off of him, the opposing cyborg slamming into the wall, with Vader dropping his lightsaber in the process. But the drone was not out yet, and it quickly got to its feet to continue its attack.

But Vader was not about to be overcome by this mindless automaton. He had survived the Clone Wars, the loss of every one of his limbs, and the brutal training of his Master, and he would not succumb to these brain-sucking monsters. He would show them that resistance was _far_ from futile. As the drone advanced on him, Vader thrust out a gloved hand, and the drone was lifted into the air by the Force and slammed against the wall once more. This seemed to elicit a reaction almost like surprise out of the drone, and for a moment it did not move further, calculating its options as the Collective attempted to process what had just happened. Vader squeezed his fingers together, eliciting his infamous Force Choke upon the creature. The reaction was not what he expected. The Borg's hands did not fly to its throat; instead, it raised its arm towards Vader, as though it did not even need air, and abruptly fired a green bolt of energy at him, almost like a wrist-mounted blaster. As he had not recovered his lightsaber beforehand, he could not block it, and was forced to let go as he felt the bolt clip his shoulder.

Only his skill with the Force saved him, alerting him right before the drone could swing at him again, aiming for his head as he ducked under the blow. He launched the drone against the wall yet again with the Force, and this time he slammed it again and again until it slumped to the ground, dazed. With the drone momentarily incapacitated, Vader considered his options. He could simply kill it with a flick of his hand, snapping its neck through the Force, but this was his chance to spirit away one of the creatures, alive and intact. There was no better way to understand their enemy than to study a living member, and with that, he reached through the Force to glean what he could of the drone.

What he discovered profoundly disturbed him. The drone was once an individual, but his body had been infused with all sorts of technology that superseded his body's natural functions. His very mind was being suppressed, forcibly bent under the indomitable will of the Collective by the cybernetic implants. Worse still, he could sense that a tiny part of the drone's consciousness was fighting to break out, to gain dominance, to _resist_ , but the millions of equally-repressed voices crushed it, silenced it.

This unsettling knowledge stirred something in Vader, something he had long thought lost to him; compassion. It was weak, but it was enough to convince Vader that the man should be freed, not killed. He inwardly dismissed the fleeting moment of sentiment as his own fantasy and rationalized his decision as the best way to gain some inside knowledge about the single greatest threat the galaxy had ever faced. With this in mind, he reached out with the Force again, studying which implants were the most important, and one by one, he began to dismantle them. And finally, with a triumphant spark, he completed his task as he crushed the neural transceiver embedded in the drone's neck, severing him from the Collective.

The first thing the newly-liberated drone did upon his newly-gained freedom was to clutch his bald head and scream.

Vader had been too caught up in the chaos to think about it before, but suddenly he realized that he had not been keeping an eye on the Princess during his fight with the drone. The Force alerted him that she was up to something he did not like, and quickly found her in the cockpit, steering it towards a group of Alderaanian civilian vessels fleeing the planet as her hand hovered over the comlink, preparing to transmit a message.

"Get out of that chair before I physically remove you, _Princess_ ," he said in his iciest tone.

Realizing she had been caught, Leia gasped in fear, and quickly removed herself from the cockpit, but stopped cold when she saw the still-alive drone moaning on the floor.

"Leave him," Vader coldly ordered. "I shall deal with him in a few moments. In the meantime, I will finish what you started. If you value your life, you will not try that again."

Leia mutely nodded, cursing herself for her failure.

With Leia subdued for the moment and the drone still non-responsive, Vader took a moment to appreciate his situation. His shuttle had managed to escape the battle and they were nearing Alderaan. However, he could clearly see a large group of civilian ships exiting the atmosphere and joining the growing Alderaanian refugee fleet. So the Death Star's presence hadn't gone unnoticed after all.

Even without the Force, it was fairly easy to tell which ship belonged to Viceroy Organa, as his was the largest and most ornate-looking. The Empire had seized, and eventually destroyed, his old ship, the _Tantive IV_ , but it was not surprising that the wealthy ex-Senator would have others on standby. Vader was well aware that, with the seizure of the Death Star by the Borg, and the likelihood that the other Imperial shuttles had been similarly boarded, he was the only Imperial presence left in the Alderaanian system, but he was not about to let that deter him. Opening a channel to Bail Organa's ship, Vader announced, "Viceroy Organa, this is Lord Vader. The Death Star has fallen. An enemy race calling themselves the Borg intend to use it as part of their conquest of our galaxy. Do not attempt to destroy my ship. I have your daughter on board with me. Respond at once."

After a moment, the clipped, but hope-tinged voice of Viceroy Organa answered back, "Put her on. I want confirmation that you have Leia aboard your ship."

Leia, who had been listening in, instantly cried out, "Father! Father, it's me! I'm here!"

"Leia? Leia! Are you alright?" Organa's relieved voice replied back.

"Yes," she answered, releasing a shuddering sigh. "I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I'm alive thanks to Vader."

"There, you have your confirmation, Viceroy," Vader interrupted shortly. "Now tell me where you are going. I intend to accompany you there to get word out to the Emperor that the Death Star is now in enemy hands, and also to take advantage of the opportunity presented by my capture of one of these Borg creatures."

"…These…Borg…you say they intend to conquer our galaxy?" Organa asked slowly, like some great hope had withered within him.

"Yes. I'm afraid these new arrivals are no friends of yours, or mine. Now tell me your destination. Further delay will risk the destruction of Empire and Rebellion alike."

"…We're on our way to Corellia. They should be able to accommodate us."

"Do not think I am unaware of Corellia's fellow ties to your Rebellion, Viceroy. I still intend to arrest you once our business with the Borg is concluded. Count yourself fortunate, though, that Tarkin never got the chance to use his new toy on your planet while you were still on it."

"So he _was_ planning to…" Organa trailed off, remembering the conversation at hand. "I will…meet you in Corellia, then, Lord Vader."

"Count on it," Vader curtly finished before terminating the transmission.

However, before he could do or say much else, he suddenly felt it in the Force. A presence he had not felt in a very, very long time.

XXXXXX

Obi-Wan Kenobi watched with a thin, half-hearted smile as his newest student tested his lightsaber skills against the training droid in the _Millennium Falcon_ 's lounge area. It was like watching his father all over again, and the memory of that made the old Jedi sigh heavily.

Noticing this, Luke Skywalker removed his visor and deactivated the training droid, casting a worried glance at his teacher. "What's the matter, Ben?"

"Nothing," Obi-Wan replied. "Just remembering and missing your father."

"You two were pretty close, weren't you?" Luke ventured, setting the visor down on the table. "I know so little about him…what was he like, Ben?"

Obi-Wan sighed again, this time feeling the full weight of the truth he had kept hidden pressing down on his aged shoulders. How could he not break down and confess right then and there, when confronted with such innocence in the boy's eyes? How could he possibly tell Luke that the father he had long dreamed of and wished for was in fact a monster guilty of aiding in the murder of millions throughout the Empire's short but bloody history? He just wasn't ready for that truth. Not yet.

"He was…impetuous and bold. Brave, and impatient. And a very, very dear friend. He got me in such trouble back during the days of the Clone Wars, but he incredibly always managed to get the two of us out in one piece." Then he remembered something, and chuckled, a slight note of bitterness coloring his tone. "Except for when he lost his hand to Count Dooku on Geonosis, of course."

"You really miss him, don't you?" Luke asked, desperately wishing he had gotten to know his father.

Obi-Wan's eyes blinked with unshed tears. "Yes." _More than you realize, my young apprentice_.

"Did you…know my mother too?" Luke hesitantly asked. "My aunt and uncle talked about her even less than they did about my father."

At this, Obi-Wan smiled sadly. "I did indeed know your mother. Quite well, I might add. She was a senator from Naboo, and your father was infatuated with her from the moment they met. This ultimately caused issues, since attachment was forbidden in the Jedi Order, but their love would not be denied."

Luke furrowed his brow. "Why were attachments forbidden?"

"To have attachments meant that your loyalties to the Order and its mission would not be absolute, and that with attachments came the fear of loss, and with the loss came the pain and anger, all of which were paths to the Dark Side."

Luke's confused, and slightly unsettled expression didn't change. "But…that's too much to expect from anyone. It's clear to me you cared a great deal about my father. Was that forbidden too?"

Obi-Wan managed a tired laugh. "To be quite fair, it was the single most violated law of our Order. Not even Master Yoda could obey it, especially when he began to personally train the younglings. Affection is as much a part of us as the Force, and the Order's unwillingness to acknowledge that was what contributed to its downfall."

"How so?" Luke questioned, enthralled by the story.

"It left us ill-equipped to deal with the likes of Darth Vader, who, at the time when he himself entered the Jedi Order, not only formed attachments easily, but had several pre-existing ones, including his mother. His conflicting loyalties, his fear of losing the ones he loved, and his growing lust for power were all taken advantage of by Emperor Palpatine, who we did not know at that time was a Sith Lord by the name of Darth Sidious and was still the Supreme Chancellor to us. He turned Vader against us all, seducing him with the power of the Dark Side, and he lost everything as a result. And in the process…so did I."

"I can't imagine someone like _Vader_ having any emotional attachments," Luke said with a disbelieving frown.

 _Oh, if only he knew_ , Obi-Wan thought bitterly.

But before the elderly Jedi could open his mouth to speak further, an unexpected voice announced, "Hey, we're entering the Alderaan system," Captain Han Solo informed them from where he stood near the entry hatch. "But you might wanna come and take a look at this."

There was something odd about the way he said that that immediately set Obi-Wan's nerves on edge. And then he felt it. A disturbance in the Force. It started out subtle, but then reached a profound level of chaos as the Force in its entirety suddenly became uncertain. Something had happened, something big that had irrevocably altered the fate of the Galaxy, and they were about to find out just what that was.

Sharing a brief glance of concern, Jedi and Padawan joined Han in the _Falcon_ 's cockpit to find a sight none of them would ever forget.

A host of civilian ships were heading towards them as they fled Alderaan. Meanwhile, in the distance, a small moon with a huge crater in its northern hemisphere loomed over the planet as a multitude of strange, geometrically-shaped vessels of incredible size, the cubes alone easily being larger than the Empire's infamous Star Destroyers, broke away from the moon's orbit and split off into three directions, disappearing into what Luke assumed was hyperspace, save for two vessels. A small, diamond-shaped one remained near the moon, while the single remaining cube suddenly turned its attention towards the planet, and something about its approach almost seemed…threatening to Luke.

"What's going on?" Luke voiced aloud.

"Beats me, kid," Han answered warily.

Luke turned his head towards his new teacher. "Ben?"

His brows furrowed in growing concern as he saw Obi-Wan staring intently at the cube-shaped vessel now settling smoothly, ominously, into Alderaan's outer orbit, a look of deep unease etched onto his aged face. Obi-Wan, as he looked at the cube, felt, within the Force, a profound sense of dread, and the reason why was something he had never experienced before. Surrounding the ungainly vessel was some kind of void. The exact nature of it was indescribable to Obi-Wan, but there was a chilling emptiness surrounding that vessel, permeating it, as if the very crew that manned it, whoever they were, were utterly devoid of soul or self, and not in the way one would consider a droid such. There was a burning need to consume aboard that vessel, and he could sense that, even now, that void was growing larger, wider, inside what the old Jedi had deduced was some kind of Imperial battlestation, and was preparing to consume Alderaan in a similar fashion. The presence of the rest of the suspicious fleet before, coupled with the rather extensive damage to the Imperial station and the whisperings of the Force, painted an unprecedented, and utterly horrifying picture for General Kenobi.

A new power had just risen in the galaxy, one that would swiftly eclipse their familiar foe in the Empire as the Alliance's greatest threat. And their presence had irrevocably altered the course of the galaxy's intended history, throwing the entire plan of the Force into chaos.

"Obi-Wan?" Luke ventured again, a little louder this time.

This stirred Obi-Wan from his musings, and Luke noted with worry that the elderly Jedi looked unexplainably rattled for some reason. "What's the matter?" Luke asked worriedly, too worried about his teacher to notice the Force disturbance himself.

Before Obi-Wan had a chance to answer, a console beeped, and Han flicked a switch to allow the transmission through.

"Unknown vessel, identify yourself," a clear voice, laced with the unmistakable dialect of a Core Worlder, one that Obi-Wan immediately recognized from his younger days.

"This is Captain Solo of the _Millennium Falcon_ ," Han began, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I can take over from here, lad," Obi-Wan said. "I know this man." He then cleared his throat and said, "Bail Organa, this is General Kenobi. I've responded to your daughter's summons and am here to assist the Rebellion in whatever way I can."

There was a brief pause before Organa responded, disbelief in his tone. "General Kenobi? _You're_ here too? This might not be as good a time as I had hoped."

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Viceroy," Obi-Wan replied, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Then perhaps _I_ can explain," a sudden baritone interrupted over the comm, and immediately a chill fell over them all, especially Obi-Wan. "It's been a very long time, _Obi-Wan_."

" _Vader_ ," Obi-Wan answered with a shuddering breath.

Luke and Han's eyes both widened, while Chewbacca, Han's first mate, growled threateningly.

"The station you see not far from here is the Empire's latest superweapon, the Death Star," Vader explained stiffly. "However, it is no longer in Imperial hands. A new force has plans to carve its name into the history of the galaxy, one hostile to Rebellion and Empire alike, and it all starts here on Alderaan."

Obi-Wan could sense hatred and anger for his former apprentice flare up in the young Skywalker, and to his dread, Vader, wherever he was, sensed it too. "I sense a presence alongside you, Obi-Wan. The Force is strong with him. Your new apprentice, I presume?"

"My name is Luke Skywalker!" the boy abruptly cried, and Obi-Wan felt his heart seize in his chest at what he knew was coming now. "And with Obi-Wan's help, I'll make sure you pay for murdering my father!"

Vader sounded genuinely curious. "Your father?"

"Anakin Skywalker!" Luke yelled. "You betrayed him and killed him!"

Obi-Wan knew the moment was coming. His sins would unravel, the boy would know the truth, and the future of the galaxy would be shaken even further. Finally Vader found his voice, and his tone was astonished and dangerously cold.

"We have much to discuss, Obi-Wan, when we reach Corellia. Not least of which is why you told my son I killed his father."

Before anyone could find their voice, Vader ended the transmission.

XXXXXX

Whatever their response would have been, Vader cared not. For now he knew a truth that had been kept from him for a very, very long time.

Palpatine had lied.

Vader had a son.

 _He had a son_.

And Obi-Wan had been filling the boy's head with lies about his father. Meddling old fool. He would pay for that in due time, but right now, he had other concerns. He was aware that Organa was still conversing with the _Millennium Falcon_ , but also knew they would have to make the jump to hyperspace soon, lest the remaining Borg vessels in the system turn their attention towards the refugee fleet.

He was aware of the princess's eyes on him from where she sat uncomfortably, and he knew she had overheard the galaxy-shattering revelation as well.

" _You_ were Anakin Skywalker," she breathed. "The Hero Without Fear…Father…Father always spoke so highly of you…" She shook her head, trying to make sense of it and ignoring the unconscious drone still slumped on the floor. " _Why_?"

Vader did not turn away from his station. "Why _what_?" he coldly spoke, though he knew what she was asking.

" _Why did you betray us all_?!" she cried, all sense of fear leaving her.

Vader started as he felt the Force coiling around her, giving strength to her anger. She knew it not, but Vader could see she too was Force-sensitive, and it was beginning to manifest. But there was more to it. The Force…it was whispering something to him, something that struck him as familiar. Her Force signature was uncannily similar to his son's…to his own.

 _Impossible_ , Vader thought, but searching his feelings, he knew it to be true. _Luke…he has a twin sister, and she's sitting right behind me. Padmé had twins. I don't just have a son, I have a_ _ **daughter**_ _too_ …

Within a few minutes, everything he had known was shown to be a lie. His Master had told him Padmé had died in childbirth, had taken great pleasure in informing him as such even. And it had been a _lie_. It was more than he could have ever dreamed of, and Vader knew many things right then and there.

Firstly, he would have his family back, at his side where they belonged.

And together, they were going to destroy the Emperor.

It was then that he realized that the Princess, Leia, his _daughter_ , was still waiting for an answer.

"I did it for your mother," was his abrupt, low reply.

Leia had not been expecting _that_. "W-what…?"

"Now is not the time to discuss this," Vader interrupted. "There will be time on Corellia for many things, but not now."

Leia desperately wanted to protest, but knew that angering Vader was not smart. But what he had said ate at her, and the implications of his words unnerved her immensely. _How did he know my mother_? Leia thought. _Unless…no…no, that can't possibly be true_!

But a part of her knew it was. The man sitting in the cockpit, holding her prisoner, a man guilty of murdering countless millions of innocents in the name of the Galactic Empire, was her real father.

She barely noticed as, one by one, the fleet her ship had joined all made the jump into hyperspace. Vader said nothing else the entire trip.

XXXXXX

Obi-Wan had been dreading this moment, but he had not expected it would come so soon.

"Why did you lie to me, Ben?" Luke asked softly as they stood in the _Falcon_ 's lounge, his arms hugging his chest.

Obi-Wan could see how Luke's whole world had been shattered, and knew that picking up the pieces would be a difficult, arduous process, compounded by the fact that Vader not only now knew as well, but was also in very close proximity.

"I did it to protect you, my boy," Obi-Wan slowly spoke. "To protect you from a truth I feared would destroy you. Yet another mistake I have committed that hurt your family."

"So, was everything you said about my father also a lie?" Luke challenged bitterly.

Obi-Wan's grief was palpable as he answered, "No…every word I spoke was the truth."

"Then why did he turn?"

Obi-Wan looked up, seeing the unshed tears brimming in the eyes of his once-best friend's son.

"Why did he turn, Ben?" Luke asked again more softly. "I need to understand…I want to know why we aren't a family."

Obi-Wan sighed as he leaned back slowly in his seat, delving into long-buried memories. "In the beginning, from what little I myself understood, he did it for your mother."

"My mother?" Luke repeated.

"Your father, as I said before, was madly in love with your mother. But he also had conflicting loyalties to the Jedi Order, and later with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine himself. However, your father, late in the Clone Wars, began having visions of your mother dying in childbirth. The last time he had experienced such visions, it had involved his mother, your grandmother, and he was too late to save her. The idea of losing Padmé terrified your father to no end…"

"…and fear leads to the Dark Side," Luke quietly filled in, beginning to comprehend.

"Indeed," Obi-Wan agreed. "But there is more to it. The war and the increasing stress of your parents' secret marriage were beginning to weigh heavily on him. At the same time, Palpatine, who, without our knowledge, was in fact the Sith Lord who had orchestrated the Clone Wars, was using his growing influence over your father to slowly begin driving a wedge between him and the Jedi Order, especially me, slowly beginning to convince him that the Order was plotting to overthrow the Republic. It all eventually came to a head, and in blind desperation to save your mother, your father embraced the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. But the Dark Side is the ultimate corruption. Beneath your father's noble intentions was a growing lust for power he could not understand or control, and by the time your mother and I confronted him on Mustafar, he was too far gone to be reasoned with. Drunk on his power and veritably insane, he lashed out at your mother in anger for mistakenly believing she had brought me there to kill him when I had in fact boarded her ship in secret without her knowledge. No one knows precisely how, but the act left your mother fatally weakened. Your father and I fought, and I ultimately defeated him and left him for dead on the slopes of Mustafar. Your mother, afterwards, soon gave birth to you and your twin sister, but for unknown reasons, they could not save her, and Anakin's premonitions came true. While I took you to Tatooine, the place of your father's birth, your sister was taken to Alderaan to be raised by my old friend Bail Organa."

Luke's eyes widened. "W-wait…are you saying…?"

"Yes. Princess Leia Organa is your twin sister."

"…and she's with Vader…" Luke breathed.

Knowing what he was thinking, Obi-Wan admitted, "Yes, I'm afraid it's likely he's figured that out as well. The reveal of your existence has opened her up to him in turn."

"Is she in danger?"

Obi-Wan slowly shook his head. "No, I…I don't believe he will hurt her. Knowing that Palpatine lied to him about the death of Padmé's children has likely shaken him to his core. I truthfully don't know what will become of it, but I know he won't hurt her."

Luke's pain-filled gaze became pensive. "Then that means there must still be some good in him…"

Obi-Wan shook his head once more. "Your father has long been enslaved to the Dark Side. The part of him that was Anakin Skywalker is long-dead."

"I don't believe that, and if you don't think he'll hurt my sister, I know you don't believe that either," Luke countered sternly. "You were fighting a battle over my father's soul and didn't even know it. There's good in him. We have to turn him back to the light."

Obi-Wan gave a sad smile. "There's still good in him… Those were the last words your mother spoke to me before she passed. For years, as I watched over you in secret, I held that hope. But the more crimes he committed, the more my hope eroded until nothing remained. I'm too old to get my hopes up again after so long."

"Then you just have to find a new hope," Luke replied. "Giving up hope is exactly what the Emperor wants. My father knows now that the Emperor lied to him about us! Maybe that could be the first step…if we could bring him back, he could be a powerful ally."

Obi-Wan was shocked by the very idea. " _Darth Vader_ joining the Rebellion? Now there's an impossible thought."

"We have to try," Luke pressed. "I don't care what he's done anymore, because now I know he, you, and my mother were all just as victimized by the Emperor as the rest of the galaxy."

Obi-Wan just shook his head in disbelief, chuckling quietly.

"What?" Luke demanded, a little offended by this.

"You look so much like your father," Obi-Wan replied. "You also have his stubborn streak, a Skywalker family trait. But you certainly possess your mother's level-headedness, of that I've no doubt."

"Can it be done, Obi-Wan?" Luke asked. "Will you help me?"

Obi-Wan slowly stood. "I will need to meditate on this matter. Whatever just happened on Alderaan, it's thrown the entire flow of the Force into chaos. Something has changed the intended course of our future, and I need to see what this new future might hold for us all."

XXXXXX

About twenty minutes later, Obi-Wan was meditating alone, attempting to glean what information he could from the changing flow of the Force. But his mind swirled with thoughts of Vader, Luke, Leia, and the past, clouding his thoughts and distracting him.

 _Pessimism is rather unbecoming of you, my old Padawan_.

Obi-Wan started at the voice in his head, flowing on the Force-currents. It was a voice he had not heard in years, and recognized immediately.

 _Qui-Gon_!

 _Yes, old friend. It's been a long time. I see the past has finally caught up with you_.

Obi-Wan mentally sighed. _I only wish the boy hadn't found out so soon. The loss of Anakin is still so raw after all these years_.

 _Yes. But now the truth is known. The Force has been thrown into chaos, but even now it is reforming, calculating, contemplating a new plan. And it will involve all members of the Skywalker family_.

 _It can't be possible. The man I knew died on Mustafar and became Palpatine's apprentice_.

 _His son's faith is not misplaced. A part of Anakin still exists within Vader, though he refuses to acknowledge it. His grief and self-hatred hold him back from his true potential as a Sith just as his emotions held back his true potential as a Jedi. The intrusion of the Borg has altered the course of the future, and the Force needs its Chosen One to facilitate its plan to bring back balance_.

 _I don't understand. He stopped being the Chosen One on Mustafar_.

 _No, Obi-Wan. The Force always had a plan for him. We just did not understand the scope of it. But now it must plan anew. Anakin will return to us, I'm certain of it_.

 _How can you be so sure_?

 _The only one who might be able to stop it is Sidious himself, and if the Borg have their way, he will not be a concern for much longer_.

 _The Borg will destroy Palpatine_?

 _Yes, but do not underestimate the threat they pose. The Force now regards them with fear, for they seek to consume every member of the galaxy, to rob every individual of of their freedoms and even their sense of self. The Galaxy needs the Chosen One, and Anakin needs his family. All of it, Obi-Wan_.

 _I…I don't know if I can, Master_.

 _Trust your feelings. Let the Force guide you, and you will prevail_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Resistance Is Futile**

Tarkin paced about the Bridge impatiently, his hands clasped behind his back as his officers scrambled to regain control of their own stations. The Borg had, not long after they had boarded, begun hijacking their systems. Even as the Stormtroopers had driven off the initial boarding party that had teleported onto the Bridge, the officers had done their best to lock out all available systems. Now, with the doors sealed shut and hundreds of Stormtroopers forming a defensive perimeter around every access point and corridor that led to the Bridge, they were attempting to regain access to the comm system.

Tarkin's blood was boiling with anger as he regarded his current position. The Death Star was overrun with mysterious boarders, who had spontaneously developed personal shields their blasters had difficulty penetrating, and they were inexorably making their way through the station, doing Force-knows-what to whoever they encountered. All but one of the enemy ships had departed, clearly deciding the Death Star was no longer any threat to them, with one heading towards Alderaan and the others jumping into what he assumed was hyperspace to spread their filth across the glorious Empire. The last projection painted a pretty grim picture of their situation; the Borg would reach the Bridge within the next four hours, despite the heavy resistance they were facing courtesy of the determined Imperial soldiery.

And Vader…

Tarkin fumed even more at the thought of the infuriating cyborg. He should have been here with him, planning the defense of the station. But instead, the coward had chosen to run, and spirited the princess away with him. _Oh, if only you knew what I intend to do with your betrayal, my friend_ , he thought nastily to himself.

He was abruptly jolted from his thoughts when the comm officer cried, "Sir, I've got communications back! I don't know how long it'll stay that way, but we've got it!"

Tarkin whirled around and ordered, "Contact the Emperor, _immediately_!"

The comm officer wordlessly nodded before establishing the link. Within a few moments, the Holo-projector flashed to life as the hooded gaze of Emperor Palpatine loomed over them all. "What is it, Governor?" Palpatine asked.

Tarkin bowed respectfully before his ruler before launching into an explanation. "Your Majesty, I regret to inform you that our expedition to Alderaan has met with…unexpected difficulties."

There was a dangerous glint in Palpatine's eyes as he demanded, "What sort of _difficulties_?"

"Before we could destroy the planet, the Death Star was intercepted by a fleet of unknown alien vessels that attacked us without provocation. We've been boarded in large numbers, and we are having trouble reclaiming the station. We had to lock out most of our systems to prevent the enemy from gaining control."

"And where is Vader in this?" Palpatine asked, his eyes darting about as if searching for his missing apprentice.

Tarkin could not hold back the gleeful sneer as he replied, "When the enemy attacked us, he took the princess and fled the station like a coward."

"Vader is no coward," the Emperor interrupted darkly. "He must have had a reason to leave, especially if he chose to take the princess along. I will attempt to contact Vader on this matter in due time. Meanwhile, what, precisely, is your situation, Governor? How long will it take, and perhaps how likely will it be that you will reclaim the station? And do not attempt to deceive me with exaggerated statistics, Governor Tarkin. I need your expertise, not bluster."

Tarkin frowned as he nodded. "Very well, sire. The situation is…not good. We've already lost over half the station to these invaders, including Main Engineering. Their soldiers are…peculiar. They are protected by some sort of energy shielding that only heavily-concentrated volleys of blaster bolts seem to be able to pierce. And whenever they manage to make contact with one of our own…"

Tarkin trailed off, unsure of how to explain this to his leader. His patience fading, Palpatine said, "Well, Governor?"

"They…they somehow… _convert_ our soldiers, Your Majesty."

"Convert?" Palpatine repeated edgily. "What do you mean, _convert_?"

"From what I've been told, sire, by those who have seen it happen, the enemy injects our soldiers in the neck with some sort of tubules in their hands that easily manages to penetrate the durasteel armor. At first we thought this simply killed them, but moments later, the soldiers got back up, and they…they had _become_ the enemy. I-it's some kind of…forced coercion, sire."

If the Emperor was disturbed by this information, he did not show it. "Sir," the comm officer hesitantly spoke up, catching Tarkin's attention. "W-we have a recording of the message the enemy sent us right before they attacked. S-should…should we let His Majesty hear it?"

Tarkin thought for a moment before turning his head back towards his contemplating ruler. "Sire, one of my officers has informed me that they possess a recording of the message our enemy sent us right before they opened fire. Perhaps it might shed a little more light on what they are all about."

Palpatine slowly nodded. "Very well, Governor."

Tarkin briefly nodded his head towards the comm officer, who transmitted the message to the Emperor. Immediately a chill fell over the entire Bridge as the Borg transmission played out again. " _ **WE ARE THE BORG. EXISTENCE AS YOU KNOW IT IS OVER. WE WILL ADD YOUR BIOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS TO OUR OWN. YOU WILL SERVICE US. YOU WILL BECOME US. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE**_."

The Emperor said nothing for several minutes afterwards, mulling over what he had heard. The silence was beginning to make even Tarkin nervous. Finally the Emperor decided to speak once more.

"It would seem we are dealing with a foe that seeks to consume the Empire in an almost literal sense," he mused. "They are after our technology and everything that makes the Empire unique and unstoppable. Under no circumstances are you to let this happen, Governor."

Tarkin bowed his head. "By my life or death, I will _not_ let the Death Star fall into their hands."

"Given this information," Palpatine continued, "how likely is it that you can reclaim the Death Star? And if so, how long will it take you?"

Tarkin glowered, knowing that the situation was far grimmer than he would have liked. "In all certainty, Your Majesty, given how they are literally turning our own soldiers against us, adding to their numbers even as they diminish ours, I'm not certain we have the manpower to take back the station. If all else fails…I will see about activating the self-destruct."

It was clear the Emperor did not favor that option, given the dangerous gleam in his eyes. " _Only_ if victory is deemed to be impossible, Governor. But know this; I will not let the Death Star fall so easily. Hold out as long as you can; I will be sending a task force directly from Imperial Center to bring you reinforcements. Do not try to regain the station. Go on the defensive, and wait for those reinforcements."

Tarkin opened his mouth to reply, when a junior officer interrupted him. "Sir! We've just received word that the Borg are renewing their assault, pushing towards the Bridge! At the rate they're going, they'll be here in less than two-and-a-half hours!"

" _Damn_!" Tarkin swore. He turned back towards the Emperor's visage as he declared, "I will do all I can, Your Majesty. As long as I still breathe, they won't…!"

Tarkin never finished his sentence. Without warning, a Borg drone shimmered into view right behind him, and before Tarkin could react, the drone grabbed him by the arm and raised its cybernetic arm to his neck, injecting some sort of device. Tarkin gasped before he went still, and the drone phased back out of view, taking the Governor with it. The whole incident had taken only three seconds, and the Bridge crew all stared at the spot where Tarkin had once stood with utter horror. Palpatine, however, had watched the exchange play out with something like keen interest. Whatever had happened to him, Tarkin, as useful as he was, could ultimately be replaced.

Palaptine's eyes swept over a Bridge he could not see as he intoned, "You have your orders, men."

His image then flickered out as Palpatine ended the transmission. Right afterwards, more Borg drones beamed onto the Bridge, and chaos erupted.

XXXXXX

Tarkin found that he no longer had control of his body. He was moving without his input throughout an alien corridor cast in a sickly green light. Occasional flashes of white light accompanied by sharp volts of static noise rebounded off the walls. The air was hot and humid, and beads of sweat were trailing down Tarkin's forehead. At his side were two other drones, leading him along to wherever they were taking him. He still, at the very least, had control of his eyes, and he glanced at everything he passed, most of which were other drones, either performing tasks or regenerating in small alcoves built into the walls of the corridor.

Soon enough he reached the end of their lengthy walk, standing before a door that slid open at their presence, and he was unwillingly led into a small chamber flanked by numerous Borg working various consoles or regenerating, all in total silence. In the middle of the chamber was some sort of…altar? Tarkin wasn't sure what it was, or what purpose it served, but he was certain he was about to find out.

" _ **WILHUFF TARKIN. YOU LEAD THE GALACTIC EMPIRE'S MOST POWERFUL SUPERWEAPON. YOU SPEAK FOR YOUR PEOPLE**_."

The voice came from everywhere, that same drone of millions speaking as one. Tarkin then realized that he still had the ability to speak, and decided to make full use of it. "I have nothing to say to you! The Galactic Empire will make sure that you pay in full for this act of war you have visited upon us!"

" _ **IRRELEVANT. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. WE WISH TO IMPROVE OURSELVES. WE WILL ADD YOUR BIOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS TO OUR OWN. YOUR CULTURE WILL ADAPT TO SERVICE OURS**_."

"Impossible!" Tarkin snapped. "The people of the Galactic Empire answer only to the Emperor himself!"

" _ **YOURS IS AN ARCHAIC CULTURE, AUTHORITY-DRIVEN AND INEFFECTUAL. YOUR EMPEROR IS A PETTY TYRANT WHOSE PARANOIA, SELFISHNESS, AND GREED ARE TURNING THE GALAXY AT LARGE ON A PATH TO SELF-DESTRUCTION**_."

Tarkin wasn't sure, but…was there a distinctive female voice growing in volume behind that mindless droning, while the droning itself seemed to fade? The altar before him suddenly hissed to life as a platform began to lower from the ceiling in between the pillars flanking the pedestal. Someone…or some _thing_ , was standing on the platform, slowly beginning to come into view.

" _ **THE GALAXY IS IN CHAOS. CIVIL WAR BROUGHT ABOUT BY SHEEV PALPATINE'S INEFFECTUAL LEADERSHIP IS ON THE VERGE OF TEARING THIS GALAXY APART. WE CAN UNDO HIS DAMAGE. WE CAN MAKE THE GALAXY**_ … _perfect_."

At this last, the figure fully descended from the ceiling, and Tarkin's eyes widened ever so slightly. A woman stood before him, a fully synthetic body everywhere but around her head and shoulders. Like all Borg, she was bald, and had mottled grey, lifeless skin. But that was where the similarities ended. Protruding out the back of her skull was an assortment of tubes and blinking devices serving some unknown purpose, and her bloodless lips were curved upward into a seductive smile. Her eyes had a distinctive white pinprick of light reflecting off of each black pupil, adding a seductively-sinister glint to her expression. She took a single, sultry step towards Tarkin as she said in a lilting voice, "You know that the so-called Emperor has failed to bring the order he promised to your galaxy. You know what he's doing wrong. You know you can do it better, but don't have the ability to make it happen."

"Who _are_ you?" Tarkin asked, suspicious, confused…and intrigued.

"I am the Borg," was her matter-of-fact reply, as if such an answer was obvious.

"A leader figure, perhaps?" Tarkin ventured, attempting to learn what he could.

"You imply a disparity where none exists," she replied coyly. "I _am_ the Collective. And the Collective is me."

"An avatar, then," Tarkin decided. "You're a physical manifestation of this 'Collective', as you call it."

Instead of confirming or denying this observation, she began to circle him not unlike a vulture hovering over a dying bantha, still smiling in that strange way of hers. "I bring order to chaos."

"I see," Tarkin replied neutrally. "And declaring war on the ultimate power in the universe brings order _how_?"

The Queen's grin widened. "Before there is order, there is chaos. Order does not come from nothing, as you know."

Tarkin pursed his lips before replying, "What, exactly, is your definition of _order_?"

Still slowly circling him, she answered, "We are on a quest to better ourselves. Evolving constantly towards a state of perfection. We want to improve quality of life for all species. We want them to join us in our journey, enhancing us even as we enhance them. We use the organic as well as the synthetic in our pursuits, bringing those others we encounter closer to perfection as well."

"By forcibly suppressing their wills and turning them against their masters!" Tarkin indignantly shouted.

But the Queen was undaunted by his outburst. "Did their Emperor not do the same during your Clone Wars nineteen years ago? Does the term "Order 66" seem familiar to you?"

"The Emperor implemented that because the Jedi Order made an attempt on his life!" Tarkin snapped.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," the Queen conceded. "It will be some time before we have assimilated the appropriate sources of information. But that's irrelevant now. Your clone soldiers were bent to the will of the Emperor in his mission to dominate the galaxy. How different is that from us?"

"The Emperor did so for the betterment of the galaxy," Tarkin replied.

Her grin widened, flashing perfect white teeth. She had him right where she wanted him. "For the betterment of _himself_. We are above the pettiness of individuals and their need to control their small, insignificant worlds. We work to better ourselves, and the rest of the galaxy."

"There is something that occurs to me," Tarkin suddenly interrupted, and the Queen went silent. "Why, instead of converting me like all the others under my command into these mindless drones around us, did you capture and bring me right to you, intact and undamaged?"

The Queen's smile returned. "Yours is a uniqueness that cannot be assimilated. Your unique perspective could better serve us as something _more_ than a drone. A human being with the strength of will and presence of mind to bridge the gulf between humanity and the Borg. The best of both worlds…"

"…someone like _you_ ," Tarkin realized, his eyes widening in realization.

She changed direction, pacing around him counterclockwise now. "You will achieve a state of perfection denied even to my drones. With you at my side, nothing can stop us… _Locutus_."

Countless thoughts whirled around in Tarkin's mind. On one hand, the Empire had proven itself to not be as invincible as its boasts, not just with the Borg, but with the insufferable Rebellion as well. The Borg, on the other hand, had shown themselves to be a power the likes of which he couldn't even fathom. They were efficient and methodical, both of which he highly valued in his own troops but more often than not found sorely lacking, the one sympathy he shared with Lord Vader.

She was promising him power, more than the Emperor would have ever allowed him. She was promising him perfection, the likes of which the Emperor even in his arrogance could never give. With the Borg at his disposal, he could not only crush the Rebellion once and for all, but in the end, he would make the Emperor himself bow at _his_ feet. The choice was obvious.

"Let us bring order and perfection to this galaxy at long last, my Queen," he intoned, managing a grin of his own.

XXXXXX

Colonel Maximilian Veers was not a happy man. His shore leave had been abruptly cut short by a direct order from the Emperor himself. Normally Veers would have felt quite honored at having received instructions from the single most powerful man in the galaxy, but Veers had so little time nowadays to spend with his family, and his son was becoming more rebellious. Dangerously rebellious. Max feared the possible consequences. As much as he and Zevulon continued to argue with one another, Colonel Veers loved his son, and could not bear to see his son executed as an Imperial traitor, especially since he had also lost his beloved wife. He had lost too many others, friends and colleagues, both to the Rebellion and to the other, more dishonorable officers hoping to increase their standing through various treacherous means. Some had even been lost for the mere crime of idly questioning the Emperor's judgment in passing, and this had been why Max had been so desperate to curb Zev's outspoken criticisms of the Empire before the same could happen to him. Despite the fact that the Emperor, and on rare occasion Lord Vader, had no qualms about using brutal, and sometimes cruel, tactics against both the Rebellion and even minor, unaffiliated insurgents, Veers believed in the _principle_ of the Empire; a strong, centralist government not vulnerable to the stagnant corruption the previous Republic had been infamous for.

But for once, Veers had been assigned a rather noble goal; defend the Empire and its people from an alien threat by retaking, or destroying if the former option was unfeasible, (Veers, having no love for that abomination of a space station, was rather hoping for the latter) the Death Star. Veers, along with a number of other Admirals and Generals, believed that the Death Star was not only a huge waste of money and resources that could have been better spent on more Interdictors and Dreadnoughts, it was also a complete defiance to what the Empire ostensibly stood for, being a planet-destroying weapon of terror. The Empire was supposed to safeguard its citizens, not blow a whole planet to space dust for the sake of killing a few Rebels. Terror tactics only succeeded in rallying more support to the Rebellion's cause. His one comfort was that Lord Vader himself had disliked the idea of the Death Star as well.

Veers sighed, putting all of his thoughts aside as he watched his ship rush through hyperspace. As one of the best strategists in the Imperial Navy, the Emperor himself had called Veers away from his garrison on Corellia to lead the task force. His hands were clasped behind his back as he stood at the viewport in a similar spot and manner as Vader was known to do on his flagship.

"Sir, ETA to Death Star, ten minutes!" the navigational officer announced.

"Ensign Selridge, open a channel to the rest of the fleet," Veers ordered as he turned around.

Selridge nodded as he did so. "Channel opened, sir."

"This is Colonel Veers. The Death Star is in enemy hands. Though the Emperor wants it recaptured as intact as possible, we must prepare for the possibility that the entire station's power will be brought to bear against us once we arrive. If the superlaser fires on us, I want you all to concentrate your fire and destroy it. I will assume full responsibility for this decision…if we survive."

Suddenly the tactical officer's station began beeping incessantly in warning, causing several eyes to glance towards that station in worry. The officer inspected the console, his head shooting up in alarm. "Sir! Long-range sensors just picked up several unknown vessels on an intercept course with Imperial Center!"

Veers rushed over to the tactical station, looking over the officer's shoulder as he observed the readout. "Uh, minor correction, sir. Two of the alien vessels just broke off and are now on an intercept course with us!"

"Navigation confirms! Two vessels of unknown design and armament heading our way! Time to intercept, thirty seconds!"

Veers's eyes steeled as he took command of the situation. "Take us out of hyperdrive! All vessels ready all batteries and fightercraft! Interdictors, you know what to do!"

Immediately the small but still imposing fleet of _Imperial-II_ and _Victory_ -class Star Destroyers and _Interdictor_ cruisers blipped into realspace just in time for a pair of _huge_ armored cubes to do the same several thousand kilometers away. Veers and his bridge crew all took a moment to gawk at the sheer size of the two cubical ships bearing down on his fleet. They easily dwarfed the Star Destroyers, and had large, thick plates of ablative armor interlocked all around their hulls. There were no discernible weapons nodes or platforms Veers could see, but something told him these ships were armed to the teeth, considering they were approaching the Imperial fleet without any hesitation despite being outnumbered.

"Those must be the aliens the Emperor spoke of," Veers announced. "Shields up, ready all weapons!"

At that moment, the comm officer looked up. "Sir, they just hijacked our communications frequencies!"

Before Veers could form a reply, the entire bridge echoed with the menacing sound of a thousand, a _million_ voices droning in unison, countless soulless whispers coalescing into what had come to be known as the Collective.

" _ **WE ARE THE BORG. LOWER YOUR SHIELDS AND SURRENDER YOUR SHIPS. WE WILL ADD YOUR BIOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DISTINCTIVENESS TO OUR OWN. YOUR CULTURE WILL ADAPT TO SERVICE US. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE**_."

And just like that, the voices cut out. Veers sighed as he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding before regathering himself. "All units, open fire!"

Hundreds of turbolaser batteries and concussion missiles zeroed in on the two Borg tactical cubes, only for the entire barrage to be harmlessly absorbed by the cubes' shields. Veers was astounded; a barrage from eleven Star Destroyers and two Interdictors would totally knock out even another Star Destroyer's shields within moments, and they were built to take all kinds of punishment. Yet the shields of these vessels had barely shown any strain. And now they were answering. A bright green beam of light shot out of one cube and struck the Star Destroyer _Gauntlet_ in the t-shaped tower, and to Veers's shock, the beam totally ignored the ship's shields, as though they weren't even there, and began slicing through the tower with inexorable ease. The _Gauntlet_ frantically fired back with every inch of its weapons complement, but the Borg war machines shrugged it off and sliced the command center clean off the rest of the tower, taking the ship's controls with it.

Veers paled at the immediate loss of one of his vessels. But he shook this off and ordered, "Veers to the fleet! Concentrate all firepower on the left cube!"

The remaining Star Destroyers all trained their guns on the target in question and unloaded everything they had. As hundreds of turbolasers and torpedoes slammed against the enemy shields, the other cube went right for Veers's own ship as a single bright-green torpedo was sent careening towards the bridge. Seeing it coming and remembering how the alien ships had easily penetrated their energy shields, Veers cried, "Raise particle shields! NOW!"

"But sir, we can't…" the tactical officer began to say.

"DO IT OR WE'RE ALL DEAD!"

The particle shield went up right before the Borg torpedo made contact, and the explosion rocked the bridge as the impact was absorbed harmlessly. "Sir, we can't fire as long as we have the particle shields active!" the tactical officer cried.

"I know that, Lieutenant," Veers responded in a clipped tone. "But they have clearly recognized our ship as a priority target. Ensign Torusu, pull us back behind the rest of the fleet. Ensign Selridge, order the _Grim Fortune_ and the _Emperor's Wrath_ to provide support for our Interdictors! Order the fleet to continue bombardment of the left cube! I think their shields are starting to buckle!"

A chorus of "yessir"s followed as the orders were carried out. Veers's Star Destroyer backed up behind the safety of two other Star Destroyers while they provided cover fire. With Veers temporarily protected, the Borg cubes then immediately changed priorities, and they completely ignored the other Imperial vessels in favor of the Interdictors, pounding them mercilessly with their weapons. Their respective escorts attempted to maneuver into the path of the Borg assault, but then something happened. Chatter began erupting on the comm system as the _Grim Fortune_ and _Emperor's Wrath_ 's captains frantically reported that their respective ships had just been boarded.

Veers was mortified. "Boarded? How?! I saw no troop carriers!"

And then suddenly the comm system went totally silent, and everyone's hearts skipped a beat at the sudden loss of sound. "S-sir! I think the enemy vessels are scrambling our communications!" Ensign Selridge cried.

Veers cursed under his breath. These two ships alone were proving themselves to be far more than a minor nuisance. No wonder they had managed to overpower the Death Star, if just two of their ships could hold their own against an Imperial taskforce, which even the Rebels tended to flee from. He was jolted from his thoughts as he suddenly heard the tactical officer announce, "Colonel, they just disabled both our Interdictors! _Grim Fortune_ and _Emperor's Wrath_ are no longer responding!"

But at that same moment, the Imperials scored a blow of their own. With a green shimmering that washed over the left cube and a chorus of explosions, the Borg vessel's shields totally collapsed, leaving the hull armor to absorb the following barrages. Veers strode towards the window, observing the battle. "Order all our surviving ships to focus their firepower on the center of the cube's surface! We'll drill a hole into whatever power core they have!"

Hundreds of turrets volleyed and thundered as they unleashed hell on the tactical cube, which relentlessly hounded one of the stricken Interdictors until they scored a direct hit on the bridge, vaporizing it and its crew and leaving the ship dead in the water. Veers gritted his teeth as he watched the Interdictor's defeat, which clenched harder as he heard the tactical officer pipe up, "Sir, estimates suggest we'll lose half our fleet before we successfully disable or destroy that vessel! The way things are going, I'd say just one of those things can keep this up even if we render at least 75 percent of it inoperable, maybe more!"

"They're targeting our most vital systems," Veers responded. "Isn't there any system we can similarly focus on?"

The tactical officer did a quick scan before he looked up. "Unlikely, sir. The ship…there's no specific bridge or Engineering section. Hell, they don't even seem to have living quarters! And I'm also detecting multiple redundant systems throughout the ship!"

"Droids?" Veers suggested.

The officer shook his head. "No, they're definitely lifeforms, sir."

A decentralized structure…multiple redundant systems…that didn't bode well for their situation. And then Veers suddenly remembered the other Borg ships with a jolt, and realized what was really going on here.

"Kriffing hell…this is a distraction," he breathed.

"Sir?" the lieutenant asked in confusion.

"We need to get back to Imperial Center!" Veers commanded urgently. "This incursion is meant to keep us from reinforcing the Death Star or Coruscant!"

"They're blocking our communications frequencies, sir!" Ensign Selridge cried. "We won't be able to order the rest of the fleet to retreat!"

"That's not all, sir," Ensign Torusu abruptly spoke up. "Those alien ships…I don't know how, but apparently they have the same ability to disable hyperspace travel around them as our Interdictors do. If we want to make the jump, we'll have to put at least half a lightyear between ourselves and those ships!"

Veers thought for a moment before he said, "Selridge, isn't there still an analog frequency back from the time of the Clone Wars we can access?"

"Yessir. It's short-range only, and can only transmit text, but it's virtually unblockable."

"Good. Use it to hail the fleet. Tell them to hold the line for as long as possible while we fall back to Corellia to rally the rest of our troops there and reinforce Imperial Center. Their sacrifice will forever be remembered. I will make certain of it."

Selridge paused a moment to take in the gravity of what he was about to transmit before he muttered, "Aye, sir," and began to relay the Colonel's orders.

They waited for a few minutes until they finally received responses. "The fleet acknowledges, sir," Selridge spoke heavily. " _Hellfire_ and _Thunderclap_ will cover our escape."

"Plot a course back to Corellia," Veers ordered. "Make the jump to hyperspace as soon as we're able."

Veers's flagship, the _Stormcloud_ , began to move at high impulse towards the Corellia system, which was only a short jump away. But the time it would take to put enough distance between the Borg cubes and themselves to enter hyperspace would be at least several minutes, and if the enemy managed to overpower the task force before they could escape, Imperial Center would be a sitting duck. Not for the first time, Veers cursed at the fact that there was no ground operation he could lead. That was where he was truly in his element, especially in the cockpit of his personal modified AT-AT, not this blasted cruiser.

However, he put this out of mind as the _Stormcloud_ steadily began to move off. Unfortunately for them, the right cube immediately began to pursue, ignoring the turbolaser fire it received in an attempt to distract it. "Sir, one of the cubes is pursuing!" Ensign Torusu abruptly cried.

Veers swore loudly. Then, something unexpected happened. The _Thunderclap_ , the closest ship to the pursuing cube, abruptly fired up its engines and aimed right for the larger vessel. There was not enough time for the cube to activate a tractor beam to halt the _Thunderclap_ 's approach; the Star Destroyer, to the amazement of Veers and his crew, rammed its pointed bow into the tactical cube's surface. Durasteel and tritanium crashed against one another, both thick, strong metals in their own right, and both splintered and exploded from the collision. Though the shields and ablative hull armor absorbed the majority of the impact and ensuing explosion, it was enough to stop the cube dead in its tracks.

Neither Veers nor his crew said a word for several moments, overwhelmed at the abrupt sacrifice of the _Thunderclap_ for their sake. But it was the opportunity they needed; the Stormcloud fled, and after several minutes and half a lightyear's distance between, Veers's ship shot into hyperspace, leaving the rest of the taskforce behind to continue to hold the line. In the end, the entire task force was lost, but both cubes were left heavily damaged and forced to return to the Death Star at low warp to regenerate their systems while the surviving ships in the task force were slowly assimilated by the boarding parties.

 **XXXXXX000XXXXXX**

 **Sorry this took so long, mates, but not only did I suffer the usual bout of writer's block, but I have to do tons of research for each chapter to make sure I am adhering to the Star Wars established universe as much as I can before the Borg really start fucking canon up the ass. This chapter alone had me research Veers's history, hyperdrive technology, Coruscant and its defenses, and all sorts of other things. I want to make this a fic that both Trekkers and Warsies can enjoy without feeling the need to complain about whether or not which side can curbstomp the other. Note that the Borg and the Empire both have many exploitable flaws and weaknesses that they will each attempt to address and capitalize on. And despite the Borg's brazenness in taking the Death Star and targeting Coruscant, Kuat, and Kamino, they are very much outnumbered and will have to go defensive for a time while they build up their strength, and Vader isn't just going to leave them alone while they do so.**

 **And yes, Tarkin will now be the new (and willing) Locutus of Borg. As a result, he will totally revamp the Borg's military strategy to better combat the likes of the Empire. So don't expect them to be acting like battle droids and just walking through tons of blaster fire towards their enemies for much longer ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is hereby dedicated in memory of Carrie Fisher. May the Force be with you.**

 **XXXXXX000XXXXXX**

 **Chapter Four: The Fault In Perfection**

Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin was dead.

In an ironic twist of fate, he had died the same way Anakin Skywalker had; taken apart and rebuilt into something less human, casting off his old identity as weak and imperfect. But whereas Vader had no choice when it had come to donning his infamous mobile coffin, Tarkin had willingly subjected himself to his fate.

Where Tarkin died, Locutus was born.

As his consciousness melded with that of his Queen and the entirety of her Collective, he immersed himself in the thousands of years' worth of technological advancements and experience the Borg possessed in their archives. And as he joined the Collective mind as its new King, he saw the noble pursuit of perfection. He saw where they were unstoppable and where they fell short.

Vader was nothing. The Emperor was nothing. The Empire itself was nothing.

All of them were raw materials waiting to be exploited.

He willingly surrendered every access code in the Death Star's databanks, pouring even more knowledge into the hivemind. And as they perfected him, he perfected them in turn.

"This is truly _perfection_ ," Locutus purred, allowing the newly-installed Borg circuitry to acclimate to his body. "So much knowledge and power…and yet there are ways to perfect ourselves further."

"How do you suggest we proceed?" the Borg Queen replied, pacing around him with that look of hunger in her eyes, knowing the answer but wanting him to speak it aloud.

"The power of our vessels is unmatched by any single vessel in the whole of this galaxy," Locutus drawled. "But in ground operations and boarding tactics, there is room for… _improvement_."

Silently, he offered his tactical insight to the Collective, which analyzed his reasoning, strategy, and experiences down to the last minute detail, all in the time it took for a single breath to escape his paling lips. The Queen smiled. At long last, the Borg had what they had lacked since the dawn of their existence; a human insight that could help them understand the nuances, strengths, and of course weaknesses, of individuality.

 _Preliminary combat simulations predict that 87 percent of all attempted surface invasions would be repelled at our current strength and technological progress. Chance of assimilating Galaxy 002 with current resources: 12 percent_.

Locutus smirked. "The engineers we have recently assimilated will be useful in rectifying this."

 _Clone Wars databanks accessed. Assessing all relevant technologies for possible advancements and upgrades…relevant technologies found. Confederacy of Independent Systems primarily utilized automated assault drones to engage enemy forces. Adding data to processing nodes…analyzing compatibility of Separatist and Collective technologies…schematics constructed. Spider drones, Class 1, Class 2…modifications of Separatist Spider Droids…Heavy Assault Platform…purpose: tank unit, ground troops transport…Mobile Torpedo Launcher, modification of Separatist Hailfire Droid…Fighter drones…purpose: anti-snubfighter unit…Carrier drone…purpose: transport of fighter drone complement into heavily-contested areas…Gunship drones, Class 1, Class 2…modifications of Separatist Droid Gunships…replace blaster cannons with disruptors and shield inverters…all automated assault drones will be equipped with Borg shielding…begin construction upon assimilation of necessary resources on Alderaan_ …

Locutus quirked an eyebrow as a particular bit of information made itself known to him.

"The method you used to reach our galaxy…can it be replicated? We require reinforcements."

The Queen agreed with this, and Locutus heard her voice join the Collective's, bending it to her will as an order was given.

 _Halt dismantling order for Death Star superlaser. Begin altering superlaser to instead fire a large-scale singularity generator to Galaxy 001. Estimated time before modifications are complete: 4 days, 13 hours_ …

XXXXXX

 _Imperial Palace, Coruscant_ …

Sheev Palpatine, First Emperor of the Known Galaxy, sat in his personal chambers, deep in a meditative trance, seeking knowledge and foresight in the power of the Dark Side of the Force.

 _Massive black cubes dropped out of warp all around Imperial Center, catching the Home Defense Fleet entirely off-guard. Star Destroyers crumbled with startling speed underneath the staggering firepower of the Borg. Seven Victory-class Star Destroyers, two Interdictors, and several Golan battlestations was a formidable-enough force to dissuade a Rebel attack on the capital, but the hostile alien armada made short work of all of it before moving on to the planet, scanning the shield before unleashing a barrage of missiles that phased right through the planetary shielding as though it weren't even there, knocking out all of the shield generators in rapid succession._

 _He saw thousands of humanoid lifeforms strangely-reminiscent of the Iskalloni aliens from the Unknown Regions appear all over the palace, overwhelming the Stormtroopers and Red Guards thanks to some sort of shield that protected them from blasterfire._

 _Then, they came for him_.

Palpatine forced himself out of his trance at the knowledge he had gained from his foresight. The aliens were headed straight for Coruscant. Straight for _him_. And if nothing was done, they would tear through the defense fleet like it was nothing. And then his Empire would fall.

And there was no way Darth Sidious was going to let that happen.

The Galaxy was his, and his _alone_. And no Rebel Alliance or Borg Collective was going to change that. Not on his watch.

Palpatine activated a comlink built into the arm of his chair. "Isard, send out an Imperial order. All ships within a day's hyperspace jump of Imperial Center are to join the Home Defense Fleet at once. An enemy force is on its way to attack the heart of the Empire."

He didn't wait for Ysanne Isard to acknowledge the order before deactivating the link. Isard was certainly useful, a capable commander and one of his best field agents in Imperial Intelligence. She was also completely infatuated with him. Though the Emperor scoffed at the very idea of love, it was an effective way to ensure her loyalty.

Still, he had to prepare. The Borg were coming. And he intended to win the confrontation when they arrived. And before that, he needed to contact Vader.

XXXXXX

 _Coronet City, Corellia_ …

On top of the main administrative building, an Alderaanian yacht touched down, followed shortly by an Imperial shuttle. It took several minutes for both vessels to fully power down, while countless other Alderaan refugee ships found other places to park and get processed. Soon enough both vessels extended their catwalks, and from the yacht came Bail Organa, flanked by two guardsmen, who looked terrified at the prospect of meeting Darth Vader in the flesh. Fearing for his wife, Bail had ordered her to stay inside until Vader was no longer around.

Bail watched with bated breath as the Imperial shuttle's door finally opened. His breath hitched as he watched the familiar black-armored frame of the Sith Lord descend the walkway, his respirator announcing his presence.

"FATHER!"

Bail jolted as someone in white ran past Vader's hulking form towards him, and he cried out as Leia embraced him.

"Leia! Oh, Leia, I was so worried!" Bail cried, hugging and kissing his adopted daughter before inspecting her. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you in any way?"

"No, no I'm fine," Leia answered, shaking her head fervently. "Where's Mother?"

"She's inside the yacht," Bail said. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright."

"Organa," came the sudden baritone of Vader as he strode up to them. "Inside my shuttle is a prisoner, one who may have valuable information about our shared enemy. I suggest you have your men take him to a holding cell until I can interrogate him."

Bail gulped before nodding to his guards, who uncertainly went into the shuttle and soon came out with the unconscious Borg drone hanging limply between them. "Take him to the Corellian authorities and have him put in a cell."

"Yessir," one of the guards said as he and his companion left with the drone.

Bail then turned towards Vader. "I want to be there for the interrogation as well."

"Your presence will not be necessary, Viceroy," Vader intoned with an edge to his voice.

"The Borg are a threat to the whole of this galaxy, Lord Vader," Organa argued. "I need to know as much as anyone else about what we're dealing with!"

"You want to oversee the interrogation on behalf of the Rebel Alliance," Vader cut in sharply, and Bail flinched ever so slightly. "I _know_ you are a member of the Rebellion, Viceroy. The only reason I have not had you imprisoned yet is because we have bigger fish to fry."

"The only reason I am not imprisoned yet is because you and that _snake_ Tarkin were planning to kill me instead, along with the entire population of Alderaan," Organa retorted hotly. "I'm no more a fool than you, Vader. If not for our new ' _friends_ ', I would be dead right now, and you know it."

Leia's eyes widened in mounting horror, knowing that both her fathers were known for their hot tempers, and that the situation between them was escalating quickly. But before she could speak in Bail's defense, Vader suddenly tilted his head upwards as a Corellian freighter approached their landing area, and he said in a tone laced with bitterness, "It seems more company is to be had."

Vader, Bail, and Leia watched as the freighter touched down in the last available space and powered down its engines. Soon enough the hatch opened, and Vader's respirator let out an audible hiss as he saw the first person descend the ramp. Clad in his old Jedi robes, his hood pulled over his head, Obi-Wan Kenobi greeted with a hint of age and sadness, "Hello, Anakin."

Vader looked upon his former Master with a hint of surprise. It had only been nineteen years, and yet Obi-Wan's face was lined with wrinkles and his hair had gone grey.

 _The years have been no kinder to him than to me_ , Vader thought for a moment before he pointed at the Jedi and growled, "You know that name no longer holds meaning for me, old man."

Obi-Wan merely shook his head. "Some time ago, I would have believed that. But now I'm inclined to believe otherwise, not least of which is because of your legacy."

With that, someone else descended the ramp, and Vader could feel the powerful Force presence surrounding the young man descending the ramp alongside another dark-haired human and a towering Wookiee. Vader's breath hitched; the sand-blonde hair was most certainly his, but his demeanor, his eyes…they were more like _hers_.

 _His son_. This was his son.

Vader noted the lightsaber strapped to Luke's side, recognizing the handle as his own. All of a sudden, he could feel countless emotions flowing through him, things he had forgotten, things he thought he could no longer feel. This boy…the Princess standing beside him…they were his legacy. They were a part of him, and he them. For the first time in his life, Darth Vader felt the instinctual, protective urges of fatherhood.

Realizing what was happening, Vader buried it all behind walls of bitter memories and hatred. Love was not the way of the Sith. Love made him weak; Anakin had proven that.

He did not notice the saddened faces of his son and former mentor as they felt it all through the Force. But it proved something to them both; buried deep, deep within the rage and resentment of Vader, Anakin Skywalker still lived.

"We have a great deal to discuss, old man," Vader said curtly. "But it shall have to wait. I have a prisoner to interrogate who may have valuable information on the Borg."

Without another word, Vader swept past them and left, Bail resolutely following behind, leaving Leia alone with Kenobi and his entourage. A few moments later, Breha Organa strode out of the yacht, her arms outstretched. "Leia!"

"Mother!" Leia cried as they embraced.

Soon they parted, and Breha noticed the presence of Kenobi and the rather awkward entourage standing behind them. "Master Kenobi, I'm honored to see you again. It's been many years."

Kenobi inclined his head in greeting. "It seems time has been kinder to you than to I, milady."

Obi-Wan seemed to notice the smuggler fidgeting slightly behind him and then added, "My apologies, but we hired the services of Captain Solo here to reach our destination, and we promised him payment."

Attention was then drawn to Han as the smuggler nodded his head awkwardly. "Your Highnesses."

"Thank you for delivering General Kenobi to us, Captain," Breha said. "Whatever your price, I accept."

"Thank you," Han gratefully replied. "I just hope you can pay it soon. I…kinda owe a huge debt to Jabba the Hutt that I wanna get off my back before he decides to put a price on my head."

Breha pursed her lips bitterly. "Yes, we are quite familiar with Jabba's… _activities_ , Captain. I will be certain to expedite the delivery of your payment."

Han breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that he would no longer have that black mark on his record. "This freighter…" Breha abruptly observed. "Are you Corellian, by chance?"

Han smiled. "Sure am. This is my hometown, actually."

Breha smiled back. "Perhaps after I've had your payment sent to Jabba, we could requisition you as a guide. My husband and I could use your services, especially after the Empire seized my husband's main transport."

Han managed a sheepish chuckle. "Thanks, Your Majesty. I'm a smuggler by trade, but I'm honestly done with dealing with the likes of Jabba on a regular basis. I'll give your offer some thought."

With that settled, Breha turned her attention to the waiting Kenobi. "Care to join me, Master Kenobi? There's a lot to discuss."

"More than what I imagine either of us had planned for, milady," Obi-Wan mirthlessly replied.

"Leia, dear, will you be alright on your own?" Breha asked.

Leia opened her mouth to reply, when Luke suddenly answered over her, "She won't be on her own. I'll be with her, ma'am."

Breha quirked an eyebrow at this before realization set in. Turning to Kenobi, she whispered, "Is he…?"

"Yes," Kenobi answered just as quietly. "Anakin's son. And I'm afraid he knows."

Breha wordlessly nodded before she said, "Alright, I'll leave you two alone, then. I feel the two of you have some things of your own to discuss."

With that, Breha and Obi-Wan departed to conduct their own business. It was at this moment that two more individuals descended from the Falcon, making their presence known.

"Oh, _really_ , Artoo, don't you remember what Master Skywalker said? Stay on the ship! Oh, why don't you ever listen to me?" C-3PO griped at the little blue astromech twittering away at his side.

"Artoo!" Leia exclaimed. "You made it!"

"I found him and Threepio in a Jawa droid sale that came by our moisture farm," Luke helpfully explained. "That's how we knew to find Old Ben. We were also gonna rescue you, but…you know…"

Leia turned to face Luke, and took in the features of the young man. Now that she was aware that Vader was her father as well as Luke's, she could clearly tell plain as day now that a familial bond was forming between them.

"Hello, Luke," she softly greeted.

Luke blinked before he realized through the Force what was going on. "…you know, don't you?"

"Wait, hang on, know what?" Han interrupted, waving his hands.

"Princess Leia is my twin sister," Luke plainly responded, as if such an answer was obvious.

Han blinked, his jaw hanging loose before he snapped out of it, shaking his head. "Now wait a minute! It's hard enough to believe that your dear old dad is _Darth kriffing Vader_ , but now you're telling me the Princess is your long-lost twin sister?!"

"I don't see how my family issues are any concern of yours, Captain," Leia coldly shot back, unimpressed by Han's tirade.

"Oh, _excuse me_ , Your Highness," Han sneered. "I didn't mean to intrude on your _family reunion_. I'll just see myself off before Grandpa Palpatine decides to join in!"

Leia went red in the face as Han stalked off with Chewbacca in tow, while Luke struggled not to laugh. "He means well, really," Luke said.

Leia rolled her eyes. "Does Artoo still have the Death Star plans?"

R2-D2 beeped an affirmative.

"Good," Leia nodded. "We're going to need them more than ever now that the Empire has lost control of it to an even more dangerous force."

XXXXXX

The former drone awakened to a world of silence. His head swam, trying to make sense of the Collective's sudden absence. A part of him felt naked and afraid, but an older part of him was screaming in the joy of liberation.

That screaming was making his head hurt more.

He groaned as he put his remaining organic hand to his bald forehead as he slowly sat up. "Ugh…goddamn, that was a nightmare…" he muttered, his voice scratchy and gravelly from years of disuse. "Where am I…?"

"You are in Coronet City, on the planet of Corellia," a mechanical-sounding baritone voice answered back.

It was then that the drone was aware of the sound of mechanical breathing and he slowly looked up to see that he was in some sort of prison cell, the door sealed by some energy shield. Standing outside of it was a man dressed all in black, with a black cloak and an unsettling helmet to match. Next to the man was another person with dark skin, dark hair that was just starting to turn grey, and official-looking clothing.

"I'd ask for some Earl Grey tea, but I don't think my body could handle actual food just yet," the drone grumbled as he slowly stood, noting with displeasure the many Borg parts infesting his body.

"Perhaps after you've answered some questions, we may see fit to accommodate you," the dark-skinned man replied.

The drone heaved a sigh, something he had not done in years. "You want to ask me about the Borg, right?"

"You are correct," the black-armored figure said in that mechanical voice. "Your fellow Borg pose a grave threat to the stability of our galaxy, which is already suffering enough from civil war."

"Show some patience with an old man," the drone griped. "I've just come out of nine years as a Borg drone, thanks to tall, dark, and brooding over there."

"My name is Darth Vader," the armored man replied. "The man next to me is Viceroy Organa of Alderaan. And I suggest you show restraint with your cheek. You are currently a prisoner of the Galactic Empire unless I deem otherwise."

"Duly noted," the drone replied, scratching his forehead. "I suppose since you gave me your name, I should give you mine. Under the Borg, I was Four of Thirteen, Secondary Adjunct of Unimatrix 19. But before that, I was Admiral J.P. Hanson of the United Federation of Planets."

"The United Federation of Planets?" Organa repeated. "I've never heard of it."

"I would imagine not," Hanson replied. "The Borg come from a different galaxy."

"How did they get here?" Vader questioned.

"They opened up a quantum singularity, a wormhole between their galaxy and yours," Hanson explained. "It didn't stay open for long though, so they could only send a small taskforce through before it collapsed."

"What is their goal?" Organa asked.

Hanson's expression darkened. "The same one they've pursued for thousands of years in my home galaxy: assimilation. The Borg are obsessed with the idea of perfection, and they achieve this so-called perfection by forcibly assimilating and consuming any races with relevant biological and technological distinctions. The worst part is, the Borg think they're doing the rest of the galaxy a _favor_. They think we _want_ this."

"And clearly centuries of conquering countless species that believed otherwise has not clued them in to the contrary," Vader mused in a tone that brooked a rather curious glance from Organa.

"Ah, how I've missed the beauty of sarcasm," Hanson sighed. "After nine years of having every other drone in the Collective in my head, it's nice to have a plain old conversation again."

"How did you become a drone?" Organa asked.

Hanson's expression darkened once more. "Ten years ago, a particular Federation starship, the _Enterprise_ , was paid a visit by a recurring menace of theirs, an omnipotent and frankly quite childish being known simply as Q. I don't know why, but Q always had a strange fixation on Captain Picard. Anyways, Q apparently told them that he had been kicked out of the Q Continuum and wanted to join Captain Picard's crew. Picard, however, was understandably mistrusting of Q's intentions and refused his offer. In response, Q got angry, and with a snap of his fingers he catapulted the _Enterprise_ some seven thousand light-years beyond Federation space in the space of a few seconds…right into the path of a Borg cube."

Vader and Organa were both astonished by such a display of power, and Vader silently hoped that this "Q" entity stayed far away from their galaxy.

"The cube tried to assimilate the _Enterprise_ ," Hanson continued, "and only by begging for Q's aid did they survive. The _Enterprise_ was one of our finest ships, and she was no match for a Borg vessel. But despite that, the damage had already been done. The Borg were now aware of the Federation, and we knew they would be coming. A year later, they did. A single ship, the same one they encountered at J-25, entered Federation space and began attacking Federation outposts on their way to Earth. The Enterprise did their best to hold the Borg's attention while I gathered as many starships as I could, but they were overpowered, and the Borg captured and assimilated Picard, turning him into… _Locutus_."

Vader and Organa both noted the hesitant, bitter way he said that name, like it was associated with very bad memories.

"Because of Picard's assimilation, the Borg now knew everything he did about the Federation, its tactics, and its capabilities. Ultimately, my fleet confronted the cube at the system Wolf 359. Forty starships engaged that monster…and all but one were completely destroyed. The Borg didn't even try: we could not damage the vessel, but they ripped through our defenses like it was nothing. Those of us that survived were assimilated, including me. Some of us were then caught up in an old subroutine for when cubes received an influx of new drones that were not necessary for the vessel's current mission. We boarded a Borg sphere which then departed for Borg space deep in the Delta Quadrant. Though the cube was later destroyed just before it could commence with assimilating Earth, we were unable to savor victory thanks to our enslavement."

"How was it that they enslaved you?" Organa asked.

"The assimilation process begins with the insertion of nanoprobes into your bloodstream, transferred through tubules embedded in every drone's hand." For emphasis, he raised his organic hand, and his visitors watched as two silvery tubules snaked out of his knuckles, writhing for a moment before retreating back beneath his flesh. "The nanoprobes act much like a virus, taking over the body's natural functions as they replicate. The nanoprobes then create the preliminary implants that will shackle the victim to the hive mind. As you fall under the Collective's will, they take you apart. They take out one of your eyes and replace it with an ocular implant. Then they cut off an arm and replace it with an implement that will serve whatever function you're assigned to as a drone. And the whole time…you're conscious. You can feel it happening. You feel the agony as your eye is punctured, you feel the sawblade as it cuts through flesh and bone, and as much as you want to scream, and cry…you can't. Because you're already theirs."

Vader and Organa were both stunned into silence at the former Admiral's words, though for somewhat different reasons. For Vader, the way Admiral Hanson had described assimilation was eerily reminiscent of the seductive power of the Dark Side. The comparison chilled him to the bone.

"I don't want to see that happen again," Hanson continued to speak, pulling Vader out of his thoughts. "The Borg have caused enough havoc as it is just in my galaxy. I can't stand the idea of seeing them unleashed on yours."

"The Galactic Empire will not permit them to succeed," Vader declared. "Though their ships are powerful, and the Death Star is now in their possession, we have an entire galaxy's worth of warships to dedicate to the cause of eradicating them."

"How many ships do you have?" Hanson asked.

"Our fleet's strength stands at an average of twenty thousand warships, not including fighters and support craft."

"The Borg have millions of vessels just in their branch of our galaxy. Assimilation cubes, tactical vessels, scout spheres, probes…"

"It would seem your galaxy is bigger than our own," Organa observed.

Hanson nodded. "I would strongly suggest you gather every available ship you can and take the fight right to them before they dig themselves in. Because if they could open a way here…they could open a way back."

"…and summon reinforcements," Vader realized in horror.

Hanson straightened up and abruptly saluted. "I therefore have an offer."

"Go on," Vader prodded impatiently.

"If you agree not to press me for any information that could cause harm to the United Federation of Planets, I will tell you everything I know about the Borg, and how to combat them."

Vader scoffed. "I think the Emperor has conquered enough in his lifetime. Your terms are acceptable, Admiral Hanson."

Hanson coughed awkwardly. "With all due respect, Mister Vader…"

" _ **Lord**_ Vader will do."

"Very well then, _Lord_ Vader. With all due respect, my ship was destroyed years ago. Starfleet Command probably thinks I'm dead, and I'm no longer in my galaxy. My admiralty has, quite frankly, expired."

Vader lifted a finger towards Hanson as he said, "Prove yourself in the coming war and I may change that."

"I think it's safe to say we can trust him," Organa noted. "Ensign, open the door."

Vader was about to take off when an Imperial officer he recognized as being part of Veers's garrison abruptly ran up to him, saluting as he declared, "Lord Vader, Colonel Veers has returned from his sortie against the hostile aliens and wishes to speak to you!"

"Tell him to meet me in the comm room," Vader ordered curtly, sweeping past the officer. "I must contact the Emperor on these developments."


End file.
